Lineage: Curse
by writerchic16
Summary: Fiona and her family help Rebecca find peace.
1. Chapter One

**Curse**

Summary: Fiona and her family help Rebecca find peace.

A/N: Think of this as an AU season two/season three episode with Fiona. It's technically a companion to my 2010 two-part series "Lineage," but you do not need to read that in order to read this story. (I mean, you can if you want, both stories are still on my profile.) Marathoning So Weird inspired me to branch off of my old two-parter, but I think new readers will be able to follow without getting lost. All the characters are themselves, almost as canon left them in season two...except for a few tweaks based on groundwork already present in the series. Writers/producers hinted that Molly's family had witch magic and Jack was a knight in a past life. Both were going to be part of the Original Season Three. So I explored those concepts, bringing them together in my own "series finale" (minus Annie, my AU pretends the real S3 doesn't happen). This story picks up from there but focuses on Rebecca, a canon character featured in season one.

 **Chapter One**

 _In 1974, Stevie Nicks of the band Fleetwood Mac wrote a song called "Rhiannon." She explained in interviews that she found the name in a book and pictured a "Welsh witch." Years later, Nicks learned the character existed in a real legend about a goddess queen. That's weird enough to get my interest._

 _Even weirder, my mom says the song inspired the melody for "Rebecca." I have to admit that, from what I've seen, Rebecca and Rhiannon do have some things in common. Both are mysterious ladies who leave people behind to travel the world. In the Welsh story, Rhiannon was a goddess who lives among mortals...sort of like Rebecca. This makes me wonder. Is my mom's childhood best friend immortal because of pure genetics, or is there a much deeper reason?_

 _If there is, can she and her family be saved from their fate?_

* * *

 _Thirteen-year-old Molly McQuinn was sick of the beach. Her fair skin had burnt to a crisp the first week of summer vacation, making the harsh, hot sand almost unbearable. Still she went every day, hoping for some distraction that would keep her away from her home and her parents for a few hours. Early in the morning she'd spread a blanket on the sand and begin to read her latest paperback novel. She did realize that nothing would change if she kept to herself, but at the same time, she didn't have the courage to approach...them._

 _The five friends also trekked down to the beach every day, but they carried beach chairs and magazines, gossiping while they worked on their enviable tans. All they seemed to care about was their own social circle, celebrity "news," or when their favorite store would be having a sale._

 _The carefree chatter and frequent napping would go on until about noon. Then, their guy friends would show up, leading to a volleyball game or a sandcastle-building contest. Molly couldn't imagine belonging to a group like that. It would be impossible for her to fit in with classmates who were so...normal. Constantly she wondered how some people were like that, and some people sat alone, baking in the sun while trying to read a book under the glare._

 _In their defense, they didn't completely ignore her. After a while they nodded hello as they passed by her in the morning. One day, they'd even invited her to share their picnic lunch. Molly knew better than to get her hopes up though. When they talked, it'd been like they were speaking a different language. She couldn't care less about fashion tips, or any of the mean, immature boys in their class. It embarrassed her to think of it, but she wound up talking about the book she was reading instead, the conversation stalling because no one had read the classic title. They didn't invite her to sit with them the next day._

 _She managed to recover from the humiliation, but when she went back to the beach, she walked further down the shore to find a place where they wouldn't be able to see her. To her it wasn't "hiding," it was...giving up. A couple weeks later she stopped going there entirely. With no other option, she hopped on her bike and went to the neighborhood park, hoping nobody from school would be there. Most classmates were at the beach or on vacation._

 _This decision led her to Rebecca._

 _Wearing a colorful dress and sandals, the then-unfamiliar girl sat on a bench alone, reading a book but also watching the scenery around her. She appeared to be...observing, surveying passerby with cool detachment. Molly couldn't figure out what her deal was, and after that previous failed attempt to make friends, she was too scared to try again. But something prevented Molly from looking for another bench. There was space for at least a second person, so instead Molly chose to sit down and read quietly next to her._

 _She was surprised when they read "together" in silence for almost an hour. In that time, Molly became a little braver, encouraged that the new girl hadn't walked away. Finally she closed over the book and glanced to her left. "Um...hi. I'm Molly."_

 _At first Molly worried the sudden introduction would startle her, but the girl was calm as she also closed her book. "Rebecca," she said, then added as an afterthought, "I believe we're neighbors."_

Right _, Molly thought,_ Ma said people moved in across the street, and they had a daughter _. "Yeah, my parents and I saw your moving truck the other day. I'm in the house directly across from yours."_

" _Yes, I've seen you and your parents. I love your garden."_

" _Thanks, I'll tell my mom." Searching for more to say, Molly asked, "So, um, how old are you? What grade are you going into?"_

" _Eighth. I'm only twelve, but I skipped kindergarten." To Molly's ears, Rebecca's automatic answer sounded strangely rehearsed, like she'd been told to remember the line for a play._

 _Dismissing the oddity, Molly said, "That's cool, I'll be in eighth grade too."_

Puzzled by her dream, Fiona slowly opened her eyes in the dark and stared at the ceiling of her room on the bus. She felt restless so she sat up in bed. "Well that was weird," she muttered. Why would she dream about her mom meeting Rebecca? More importantly, how? She just found out who Rebecca was less than two years ago, after only knowing of her from the song. Neither her mother nor Rebecca herself ever related their first meeting.

Fi ran to the notebook on her desk and wrote down everything while it was fresh in her mind. Whatever this was, she wasn't going to take the chance that she wouldn't remember it in the morning.

* * *

When she walked into the common area a few hours later, notebook page in hand, Fiona smiled at the music blasting from the bus' CD player. It was one of her mother's favorite bands, Fleetwood Mac. She'd heard it the instant she woke up. Her mother sat at the table while she read the newspaper, humming along in between taking sips of her coffee. "'Morning," Fi said, amused.

"Fi!" Molly exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her skin. The paper fell on the table as she rushed to lower the volume. "I'm sorry, I knew you were sleeping but for some reason it didn't even register..."

Fiona laughed. "Don't worry about it, I didn't really sleep well anyway. Where is everyone?"

"They went to get breakfast. Jack and Carey wanted to pick out their own doughnuts," she explained, shaking her head. "They got into a heated argument over jelly versus cream filling. It's moments like that where I can't believe my baby boy is going to college in September."

"I believe it. Can't get here soon enough," Fi joked.

Molly chuckled, knowing Fi didn't truly mean it. "What's that?" she asked, just noticing the handwritten page.

"The reason I didn't sleep well last night," Fi answered. She gave her mother the piece of paper as they sat down at the table. "Those notes you're reading are from a dream I had. It was about you and Rebecca, when you were kids." It took some willpower not to add well, when you were a kid. "Is that what happened?"

Her face pale, Molly was silent as she read both sides of the page. Finally she steadied her nerves by letting out a deep sigh. "Y-yes," she confirmed, nodding. Her near-whisper sounded spooked, overwhelmed...and embarrassed. "Even the part about those girls from school."

"I'm sorry, Mom." Fiona had started to feel guilty when she reflected on what she'd seen. While intriguing, her dream could also be considered an invasion of her mom's private memories. Fi probably wouldn't like it if her future daughter "looked into" her past this way. "I wasn't trying to dream this. Trust me, I was pretty surprised myself." She paused to gather the courage she needed for her next words. "I think this means that Rebecca is here in Phoenix."

She didn't expect her mother to be thrilled, but she hadn't anticipated Molly crumpling up Fi's notes and tossing them aside. "So?" she said coolly. "We've crossed paths before, and she didn't want to see me then. What makes now any different?"

"It is different now, Mom. You...you believe more than you did two years ago," Fi said, then wanted to wince. The reply sounded cryptic even to her.

Molly raised an eyebrow, leaning back in the seat and crossing her arms. "Oh?" When Fi wasn't sure how to answer, she added, "Are you saying that...Rebecca...has to do with..."

The question was left incomplete while Fi struggled for an answer. "She wants to see you," Fi said instead, deciding her best tactic would be avoidance. "So much, you have no idea how much...she just couldn't. She, uh...wasn't allowed."

Incredulous, Molly interrupted, "Fiona, the woman is my age with a kid of her own. She's allowed to see whoever she wants."

"Not exactly, in both cases..."

"What are you not telling me?" Molly demanded, frustrated by her daughter's cagey behavior. Her voice inched up in volume as she continued, "Why are you keeping her confidence when you barely know her? You're my daughter Fiona, yet you're lying to me now to protect a stranger, just like you did before. What is this secret that makes it okay for her to abandon me over and over again?"

"It's not my secret to tell!"

Fiona's defensive shout stunned both herself and her mother. Standing up from the table, she waited a second to catch her breath and calm her racing heartbeat. "Mom, please give Rebecca another chance. I know she doesn't deserve it, but I think...if I tell her what we are, if I convince her we aren't a threat to her safety, she'll tell you herself this time."

"'What we are'?" Molly exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stood to face her daughter. "Fiona, if this woman won't trust me with the biggest secret of her life, why in the world should I trust her with mine?" She paused, fearful as she considered the consequences. "And if I have to worry that you'll tell Rebecca about our family's magic then I don't want you looking for her, understand?"

 _This is so messed up,_ Fi thought angrily. _I get why she doesn't want to find Rebecca, but for her to forbid me from finding her? She's not looking at the whole picture._ _There's a reason we're in the same town as Rebecca again, and we shouldn't ignore that._ "Yeah, I get it," Fi retorted. Then she spun around and marched back to her room.

* * *

Not even a minute after Fi left the common area, Molly turned to the door when Irene climbed the steps onto the bus. Ned and the boys followed, each carrying a brown paper bag full of doughnuts and bagels. "How much did you buy?" Molly asked Irene, attempting to level her shaking voice. She didn't need to announce to the group that she and Fiona just had a fight.

Her son answered her question as he placed the bag he'd been carrying on the table. "Mom, I don't know if you'd noticed," Jack teased. "But we're six people, and three of us are grown men with healthy appetites. This is especially true when fresh, homemade assorted doughnuts are involved."

Carey nodded in agreement while the adults laughed. "Seriously, how can you expect us to just pick one? It's unreasonable."

"Grown men, huh?" Ned asked, chuckling.

While Jack and Carey gave him insulted looks, Irene said to Molly, "Don't worry, we remembered to get a bagel and a doughnut for Fiona. She still sleeping?"

"Um...no, she's awake." Avoiding eye contact with Irene, Molly went to turn off the CD player. Fleetwood Mac's self-titled 1975 album had still been playing.

The entire Phillips-Bell clan gave her suspicious glances. "Uh oh," Jack said. "I'm sensing post-fight tension. What did my precious little sister do now?"

"Nothing," Molly insisted, sitting back down at the table with an indignant huff. The balled-up page of Fi's notes flew off the table, rebounded off the window and landed on the bench between her son and Carey. Ned and Irene stepped back from her in surprise while Jack curiously unfolded the paper to see what was on it.

No one was too shocked by Molly's display of power. Even though she never said a spell, once in a while extreme emotion would cause her family's abilities to...make things happen. (She probably sent the notes flying because of her fight with Fiona.) Molly vividly remembered when she found out about the real cause of Rick's crash, and her ensuing magical meltdown that led to Fi getting hurt. This recent string of incidents made Molly fear similar results. After calling her mother, the family was relieved to learn their powers would settle down with practice.

"Hey Mom? What's this?" Jack held up the page he'd spread out so it was flat.

Picking up on Molly's hesitation, Irene handed Carey one of the full bags from the store. "Here, why don't you guys take some breakfast to Fi." She passed Jack the bag of individual cream cheeses and plastic knives, exchanging them for the wrinkled notebook page. "Go," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Carey said, mock saluting her with his free hand as he and Jack walked out of the common area.

After the guys left, Molly waited in silence as her best friends sat at the table with her and read about Fi's dream. "I don't understand," Irene confessed when Ned put down the page. "Why was Fiona writing about your best friend from eighth grade?"

"The one in the song," Ned clarified. "Who mysteriously disappeared."

"Fiona knows why she left," Molly stated with conviction, shocking them both. "But she won't say what it is. That's why she told me about this vision, and said that Rebecca's here. She wants to find her...again, so that I can finally hear the truth from Rebecca herself."

Irene raised an eyebrow. "And you don't want that?"

Shrugging, Molly explained, "More like I'm afraid to hope. How can I allow myself to feel that again when she's just going to run?"

"Fiona didn't hint at all about her reason for leaving?" Ned asked. "Molly, this doesn't make any sense. Why would Fi keep this from you, when she must see how much it tears you apart?"

Molly sighed. "She did indicate that Rebecca's secret was...paranormal, like ours. I don't know what to make of it because if Rebecca was a witch, Fi could've just told me. And being a witch wouldn't explain why she has to keep moving."

"So what happened with the fight?" Irene asked. "Did Fi storm off because she wouldn't tell?"

Frowning, Molly regretted that she'd let her anger get the best of her. She did have a right to fear that Fi would trust Rebecca when it wasn't earned, but at the same time, she should also trust her daughter's judgment. It had proved itself countless times in the past. "Well there's that, and..." Molly paused, embarrassed to continue. She supposed this personal response said it all. "Fi said she wanted to tell Rebecca that we were witches, so I...got scared and forbade her from finding Rebecca on her own."

Based on her friends' exasperated looks, she knew they didn't agree with her ruling either.

* * *

Fiona was pouting in her room when Jack and Carey knocked on her door. The fight making her grumpy, she muttered "what do they want?" to herself and stayed at her desk on her computer.

"Room service!" Jack called jokingly. "Bagels and/or jelly doughnuts for Ms. Fiona Phillips."

"Yeah, let us in, I'm starving!" Carey added.

Chuckling despite her sour mood, Fi got up from her chair to let them in. "Okay, but only because you brought me breakfast." She swiped a jelly doughnut from the top of the bag and sat back down at her desk. The guys put the brown paper bag between them on her bed, Jack taking a plain bagel and Carey picking a doughnut. She grimaced at the thought of crumbs or jelly filling on her comforter. "I guess Mom told you?"

"Not really. She did and she didn't," Carey said with his mouth already full. "I don't know if you've noticed Fi, but your mother isn't very subtle about these things."

Fi and Jack glanced at each other, both acknowledging the truth in his statement. "What did she say? Fiona asked. "If anything." She grabbed a napkin from the pile the guys had brought in, using it to catch powdered sugar as she began working on her own breakfast.

"It's not so much what she said..." her brother answered. He gave Fi his undivided attention, leaving his bagel-and-cream cheese on its napkin. "...as much as what magic said for her. The page of notes you wrote flew at me and Carey." Even after all that happened to the family a few months ago, he still looked uncomfortable talking about it. "Mom wouldn't explain with us there, but I saw the name 'Rebecca.' What's going on, Fi?"

Tilting his head in thought, Carey said, "Wait, like from the song, 'Rebecca'?" The two Phillips siblings nodded. "I remember hearing about this a couple years ago, when Clu included it in an email. I couldn't believe she ditched Mrs. P again. That's cold."

"Which is why Fi should leave this alone," Jack said, narrowing his eyes at his sister.

"But it wasn't cold!" Fi insisted. "Rebecca was heartbroken! She never wanted to hurt Mom, not when they were kids or two years ago." Sensing that the remaining half of her doughnut was about to slide off her lap onto the floor, she used her napkin as a plate and put both on her desk. "I promise that she has a very good reason for everything she's done."

His mind almost-visibly racing, Jack asked, "So, what? Is her family in the Witness Protection Program or something?"

"No, it's...'weirder', than that. If you get what I mean."

"Oh." Again Jack seemed like he didn't want to be discussing this. "Then why can't you tell Mom? I understand not telling her two years ago, but now she'll believe you."

Fi shook her head. "It's not that simple, Jack. This subject is...sensitive, for Mom. If I tell her what's really going on, she'll just accuse me of making up a crazy story to cover the real one. I need proof now, aka Rebecca herself." She sighed. "The notes you read were from a vision I had last night, so Rebecca must be here in Phoenix. And Mom won't let me look for her."

To Fi's confusion, Carey scoffed. "You say that like it's ever stopped you before."

"Hey, I listen...sometimes..." Fi realized that Carey had a sound argument, but remembering how scared and insistent her mother had been, she was still reluctant to take matters into her own hands. Was it so important that she find Rebecca if her mother was too hurt to let bygones be bygones? Fi knew why Rebecca vanished, so maybe one day in the future, Molly would be ready to hear the truth. Fiona couldn't be certain that her vision meant she had to find Rebecca again. "How would I even do this?" she asked, trying to deflect interest. "If I disappear at all today, Mom will know what I'm up to and track me down. Maybe she's right and I should just stay out of this."

Both Jack and Carey stared at her, stunned. This was possibly the first time in history that Fi had ever let a supernatural event go. There was an unusual expression on Jack's face, an unreadable mix of disbelief and anger. "No," he said. This atypical encouragement caused more shock than Fi's resignation. "It looks like we're switching places today, because I think you should go for it. I love Mom, but I know deep down, she really does want to see Rebecca again. You have to do this for her even if it means not listening to her."

Her brother's unexpected support changed Fi's outlook. She sat quietly while she finished her doughnut, processing what this meant and formulating a new plan. "Okay," she said, wiping powdered sugar off her hands. "I guess I do still want to find Rebecca again. Since this is Opposite Day I'll say that Jack's right." She and her brother traded smirks. "It's clear that Mom does want to see Rebecca...well see her, and know it's her. We'll start with nearby history museums that have intern programs. If you guys go with me and back up a cover story, Mom will never have to know until we're ready to surprise her."

"Unless she has a vision about it first," Carey remarked. At the siblings' glances, he added, "What? It's perfectly logical to worry about surprising a psychic."

Fiona chuckled while Jack rolled his eyes. "We'll keep that in mind, Carey," she replied sincerely. "It is possible Mom might 'sense' we're lying to her. Although...if Jack's right, she won't really try to stop us either way. She'll want us to find Rebecca."


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

About an hour later, Fi, Jack and Carey dejectedly left their first museum of the day. "We can cross this one off the list," Fi said with a sigh. She thumbed through the stack of computer printouts in her hand, removed the website pages about said museum, and tossed them in a sidewalk garbage can. "No one in there's heard of a Rebecca Habib." Realizing something, Fi groaned. "Unless she changed her name since the last time we saw her." She doubted this though, as apparently Rebecca had used the same last name for at least thirty years.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "So you're really not going to tell us what this woman's deal is? It's one thing not to tell Mom until you have proof, but maybe if you clued us in we could help better."

"I'm sorry Jack, but –"

"For starters, I've begun questioning your strategy," he interrupted. "Why are we looking for a teenage girl instead of a woman Mom's age? When you said museums, I thought maybe Mom's friend worked in one, but then you asked one of the interns if they went to school with a Rebecca Habib."

Carey nodded in agreement. "Yeah Fi, Jack and I will be useless today if you don't tell us who...or what...we're really looking for."

Weighing her options, Fi conceded that if she didn't tell them, she would be on her own But her conscience kept warning her against breaking Rebecca's trust. What was that, anyway? She didn't owe this girl any loyalty, particularly not after the last time they met. Rebecca had fled again after promising to talk with Molly. Why should Fi protect her secret at all?

 _Because it's who I am,_ Fi thought grudgingly. _I have my reasons for not telling Mom, but it would also be wrong to tell Rebecca's secret to anyone...even the guys. I should be the one to find her._ "Just trust me, please?" she asked, hoping to get by on the 'blind faith' card. "I'll do most of the investigating."

"So what?" Jack grumbled. "We're just supposed to stand here and look pretty? You didn't need both of us for that."

Fi made an annoyed face at him. "Well, you could've stayed on the bus and done homework," she retorted. "I'm sure that would be a much more interesting day. You can walk back from here, right?"

While Jack glared and Carey laughed, she led the way to the next museum.

By two o'clock, Fiona and Jack were dragging their feet after their day of "sightseeing." They'd split up from Carey a couple hours ago following much-needed lunch at a food truck. Since the guys wanted to change up Fi's strategy, she compromised by telling Carey to visit antique stores. Her hope was that if he said his parents were looking to buy from the Habibs, who made a living selling items collected over hundreds of years, he'd be more likely to get a lead. It might be a long shot, but it's not like they could consult the phone book – Rebecca's family (unsurprisingly) wasn't listed.

"Okay, this is it," Fiona announced, stopping on the walkway in front of a long brick building. "The 'Arizona Society History Museum.' Going with me, Jack?"

Her brother sighed. "Fiona, I've been very patient and trusting on this adventure of yours, earning a truck-load of big brother points. Not only that, but I've endured stifling Arizona heat while criss-crossing this state's capital on public transportation. You take this one, sis. I am going to buy myself another bottle of water, while you go lie your butt off to another unsuspecting receptionist. I'll meet you in the lobby." He gave her one of his patented "I'm-really-not-kidding" glares. "When we get home, you're telling me what's going on. I deserve at least that much."

Not expecting her brother's lecture, Fiona only nodded, watching him as he marched to a vending machine. She then re-focused on her mission and walked up to the museum entrance.

Approaching the check-in desk, Fiona asked the only employee there if she could speak with the internship director. Like all the other employees, this one presumed she was looking to apply and called the correct office to relay her message, asking for a "Mrs. Dubois." Minutes later a gray-haired woman in her sixties entered the space behind the desk. To give them privacy, the other employee made himself scarce. "Hi there!" Mrs. Dubois said, her voice bubbly. "Do you need an application? We are currently accepting candidates."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you a question," Fiona said, beginning her practiced speech. "Do you know a Rebecca Habib? My name's Fiona, and we went to school together until I moved away a couple years ago. She works here and has a shift today, so I wanted to surprise her since she doesn't know I'm back in town yet." This introduction only took shape after drastic trial-and-error. Fiona had thought of the friend-from-school angle early on, but directors had still questioned why Rebecca's "close friend" didn't know her address.

This director instantly became a little less bubbly. Her expression scrutinizing, she tilted her head in consideration as she judged the believability of Fiona's story. "Yes, I know Rebecca," she said. The verdict must have been in Fi's favor.

After the day she had, Fiona wanted to hug the woman. _Rebecca's here!_ Fiona thought, eager anxiety forming in her stomach. _She's really here! We did it!_ "You do? Can I see her?"

"Her shift doesn't begin for another half hour," Mrs. Dubois answered, softening at Fiona's honest reply. "You can wait here in the lobby. She'll have to pass through since all employees show their ID at the desk when they arrive."

"Thank you!" Fi exclaimed. The director smiled in response and disappeared through the same door she'd used previously.

Her head spinning, Fiona couldn't speak when her brother stepped in her line of vision. Regaining her voice, she explained that she'd wait for Rebecca, and that he should call Carey on the cell to let him know what happened. At first Jack insisted on waiting with her, but she convinced him to meet up with Carey to check out the music store down the street instead.

After Jack left, Fiona perched on the wide base of a sculpture in the middle of the lobby. She still couldn't believe her psychic hunch had been right and Rebecca was really there. Paranoia made her worry that this might not be the Rebecca Habib they were looking for, but she reasoned that the odds were in their favor. How many Rebecca Habib's could there be who lived in Phoenix, Arizona and interned at a museum?

This had to be her.

* * *

 _The record player in Molly's living room spun Carole King's "Tapestry." She and Rebecca had sprawled out on opposite ends of the couch after school, cherishing the opportunity to listen to their favorite album at full volume. Mrs. McQuinn would be at a neighbor's house for most of the afternoon. The best friends talked plenty, non-stop as their parents would say, but for the moment they sat in companionable silence in deference to the soothing music._

 _When the beginning of "Natural Woman" started, Molly finally remarked, "It's almost over. You want to pick the next one?"_

" _Thanks, Molly, but I think I should get home," Rebecca said as she sat up on the couch._

 _Bewildered, Molly followed suit and frowned at her. "But it's not even five yet. Ma said she wouldn't be back until five-thirty."_

 _Suddenly Rebecca seemed very emotional, her voice breaking. "I-I want to stay, I promise I do, but my parents told me this morning to get home early because..." Her deep sigh sounded like defeated acceptance. "...my birthday's in a few days. My parents want to, uh, take me shopping for my present."_

" _What?" Molly was floored, completely amazed that she hadn't known her best friend's birthday. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry! I...I would say I forgot, but I swear, I don't think you ever told me." Now she remembered. There'd been several times where Molly asked the all-important best friend question, but Rebecca either didn't answer or replied with "I don't like birthdays." This confused Molly. Who wouldn't want to celebrate their thirteenth birthday?_

 _Her smile apologetic, Rebecca said, "It's okay, I know I didn't. Birthdays just don't register for me. They're not a big deal."_

" _But they are!" Molly insisted. "They're...they're celebrating a person's life, and presents are how you show someone you care. Don't you at least like getting presents?" When Rebecca shrugged, Molly continued, "Well, I don't care how you feel about birthdays, we're doing something. I'm going to buy you that new album you wanted and make a cake myself. When is it?"_

 _Rebecca shook her head. "No, Molly, please don't go to any trouble –"_

" _Too late," Molly declared jokingly. "You might as well tell me, because if you don't, I'm going to make a cake for you every day this week until it's the right one."_

 _Though Rebecca laughed, she couldn't keep the sadness out of her voice. "It's...it's Wednesday. Thank you, Molly." Then she hugged her best friend._

 _In that moment, Molly truly believed they would have cake and open presents on Rebecca's birthday._

Startled, present-day Molly held on to an audience chair for support when the vision ended. Well, maybe it was more of a memory than a vision, brought on by all this talk about her old best friend. She hated reliving this pain. That scene in particular, where she learned when Rebecca's birthday was...it made Molly understand how much she'd missed back then. Thirteen-year-old Molly hadn't realized that Rebecca had probably gone home to help pack up the house, not shopping for a present.

To this day she couldn't listen to "Tapestry" all the way through.

"Earth to Molly," Irene teased, walking over to her from the side aisle. They were rehearsing and running sound check in the small theater they'd booked for the next night. "You okay?" She lowered her voice as she glanced around for eavesdroppers. "Did you...see, something?"

Molly shook her head. "It was probably just a memory." Not eager to discuss her inner turmoil, she nodded at Irene's phone. Carey had bought his own at the start of the tour. "What did the kids say?"

"Carey and Jack are in a music store, but Fi wanted to stay in some museum. They should be here in about an hour depending on public transportation."

A museum? While Fiona appreciated history, Molly was instantly suspicious. Their other search for Rebecca had also taken them to a museum. That morning, the kids had been vague about their destination, tossing out "sightseeing" before fleeing the bus. Even then the adults had given each other skeptical looks. "We were right before," she said confidently. "They're trailing Rebecca. Fi and I went to a museum the last time too."

Irene sighed. "Well I can't say this is much of a surprise. We don't technically have any proof, but how do you want to handle this? Are you going to punish Fiona when she gets back?"

While Fiona had predictably gone against her wishes, Molly couldn't be too angry with her. Fiona was already invested in this because of her vision. Molly couldn't deny her the chance to pursue it, not when she herself wanted to act on a vision so many times but couldn't. Plus, Fiona was trying to do this for her mother. Molly had to admit that she was grateful and secretly wanted the elusive Rebecca to be found. "No," she answered. "They can investigate, but I'm not getting involved until Rebecca shows up to talk to me."

* * *

Twenty-five minutes had passed since Fi sat down in the lobby. She knew this because she'd been staring at the wall clock in front of her, only breaking her gaze to blink or watch the door. Part of her wished her brother stayed just so they could've talked while they waited, but then again, he would have wanted to talk about Rebecca's secret. If Rebecca didn't show up for her shift, all bets were off. She'd have to explain everything to them and her mother when they met her at the theater.

While Fiona wanted to reunite her mother and Rebecca first, she wouldn't be able to keep what she knew from her family. Jack and Carey wouldn't cover for her again unless she confessed. Similarly, her mother might not "play dumb" again and let Fiona's mission continue. This was her last chance.

When the door opened again, as it had several times for visitors and other interns, Fiona whirled her head around automatically like there was a magnetic pull. She almost stopped breathing when a dark-haired girl, who appeared to be around her age, walked in wearing a colorful sundress and a patterned cloth bag on her shoulder.

Leaping to her feet, Fiona made a beeline to a spot several feet ahead in Rebecca's path to the desk, hoping to startle but not ambush her. She was the one shocked when Rebecca smiled before Fi could say a word. This whole time, Fi had been worried her mother's old friend would bolt the second she realized she had been found. "Fiona Phillips?" Rebecca exclaimed. The thirteen-hundred-year-old being also seemed surprised, but not anxious. Actually if internship director Mrs. Dubois happened to view this, she would think they really were two friends who'd spent years apart. "Fiona...I'm so glad to see you." Rebecca hugged Fiona in greeting, tears forming as the two pulled away. "I can't believe you're here."

"Um...wow...hi," Fiona stuttered, not anticipating this reaction at all. In her head she'd been certain that Rebecca would have an angry or frightened attitude, scared that someone who knew her secret had caught up with her. "I'm glad you're glad to see me. Honestly I was worried you'd run."

Rebecca laughed as she wiped her eyes. "That is understandable. I'm sure your mother would have the same expectation." She became somber, her face betraying thirty-year-old regret. (Though arguably thirty years must feel like a few months to her. Likewise, her last meeting with Fi must feel like it was only days earlier if that.) "You must understand, Fiona...no one has ever found me before, not in over a thousand years."

Letting Fiona absorb this for a moment, she continued, "It is never my decision to leave. After a year or so in yet another town, my parents insist that people will notice that I'm not aging, and we must run in the middle of the night like criminals. They tell me 'things will be better' when I have reached maturity and can pass as an adult. Then they can alter my birth certificate so I am eighteen and no longer have to attend school. But Fiona...that won't be for at least another three or four hundred years, after already enduring this for a millennium." She paused to let out a deep breath, while Fiona took this all in with open astonishment.

"I suppose the point I am trying to make is that I never choose to abandon those who manage to mean something to me. Your mother was the first person I ever allowed myself to become real friends with, and I thought my parents acknowledged our bond. I'd believed they would let me tell Molly the truth before we moved so we could at least keep in touch, pending her acceptance of what I was of course. They didn't. I was furious with them for more than a decade, then even more so when they wouldn't permit me to call after...after she lost her husband." She paused, realizing. "I'm so sorry about your father, Fiona. I don't think I said that before."

Processing the heartfelt explanation, Fiona began to get a clear picture of Rebecca's oppressive living conditions. She knew that being a regular teenager was tough enough even when it didn't last for centuries. Rebecca must be so frustrated, having the wisdom of an adult but not the respect she deserved. In that instant Fi also forgave her for what happened at their initial meeting. "So, two years ago, when you promised to tell my mom..."

"I meant it," Rebecca insisted, encouraged by Fiona's sympathy. "I was nervous about confronting an old friend, which is something I've never done in my entire life, but I was gathering the courage to do it. Then my parents saw you leave."

Fiona frowned. "And they forced you to run. Again." At Rebecca's nod of confirmation, Fi glanced to the door. She was getting an idea. "If what you're saying is true, then...let's go now, while your parents think you're at work." It all seemed feasible to her. They could easily meet up with her mother and then get back to the museum before Rebecca's scheduled shift was over.

The bold move stunned Rebecca for a second. She thought it over, clearly torn between family and her only chance to make amends for the past. Finally she shook her head with determination and turned to Fiona. "I fear that my parents will find out, but speaking to Molly again is worth the risk." She looked at the front desk. "I'll call the director from there and tell her I won't be in today. She might call my parents if I don't show up for work."

"Tell Mrs. Dubois you're hanging out with your old friend Fiona," Fi said with a sly grin. At Rebecca's bemused expression, she explained how she knew to wait in the lobby. Rebecca laughed and went over to make the call.

Five minutes later they were walking in the direction of the music store. "Jack and Carey are down the block," Fiona said. "We have to meet up with them, so we'll take the bus from there."

"Carey?"

"You remember my friend Clu, right? It's his older brother. Their parents are Ned and Irene Bell, who tour with us, so usually either Clu or Carey will live on the bus too. Though Carey's more of a permanent addition since he plays guitar for the band now." As they walked, Fiona became nervous about what she'd say to Carey and Jack. They would want to know why they'd been looking for "Rebecca's daughter" instead of Rebecca herself.

Sensing this, Rebecca said, "Fiona, it's bad enough that I've told you and plan to tell your mother. They can't know too. We'll say I'm Rebecca's daughter...and that Rebecca is a family name, I guess."

Fiona contemplated this. "Okay. It can be like that show Gilmore Girls, where the daughter has the same name as her mother but everyone calls her 'Rory' instead of 'Lorelai'...you don't happen to have a nickname, do you? Maybe 'Becky'?"

"No one's called me 'Becky' in the thousand years I've lived on this earth."

"Never mind then."

When they were only a few storefronts away, Rebecca stopped. Fiona almost lost her footing as she halted and backtracked. "The guys said the store's the last one on the block. Problem?"

Rebecca stared at her, puzzled. "Fiona...how did you find me? And why now?"

Hesitating, Fiona recalled her mother's heartbroken question from earlier that morning: "Fiona, if this woman won't trust me with the biggest secret of her life, why in the world should I trust her with mine?" Technically this argument didn't hold anymore after Rebecca's revelation, but it still made Fiona pause. She'd kept Rebecca's story to herself out of respect. Didn't she owe her own mother the same courtesy? "Um...call it an instinct," she replied.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Rebecca wasn't going to be there.

Molly paced the length of the bus, her arms crossed, wishing Irene was there to prevent her from going crazy. (Though as Irene often joked, that ship sailed for Molly, herself, and the rest of the Phillips-Bell "family.") Unfortunately that hadn't been an option. When Fiona called Irene's cell with the shocking news that Rebecca had been found, she told her mother to meet them at the bus...by herself. Molly asked if Irene could go for moral support but the answer was no. Even the guys, who were already with Fi and Rebecca, had been ordered to wait at the theater.

 _What's going on?_ she thought, for possibly the hundredth time that day. _I'm a witch, for crying out loud. What's special about Rebecca's secret?_

Besides pointless theorizing, Molly had also wondered what the hell she would finally say to this woman (if she actually showed up). What was there to say when they hadn't seen each other in about thirty years? Should Molly act angry, hurt, demand a long-overdue apology? Would an apology even help after all she went through?

Then she thought of Nora, a friend of her mother's who recently apologized for arguments they had when Molly was a teenager. Yes, it would definitely help.

Then what? Were they supposed to pick up their friendship from where they left off? Again, this was all dependent on Rebecca showing up. Molly had no reason to believe she would.

There was a creak as the bus door opened. Molly's head snapped up in its direction, stepping closer to see if someone was there with her daughter. "Fi?" she said, as Fiona ascended the stairs. "Where is –" She cut off her own question when Rebecca's daughter walked onto the bus after Fi.

"Hi Mom," Fi said uneasily, Rebecca's still-unnamed daughter beside her. Or did mother and daughter really have the same name?

Whoever she was, the teen looked scared and overwhelmed at the sight of Molly. "H-hi, Molly," she said, clutching the strap of her shoulder bag. By the way she couldn't meet Molly's gaze, she must have noted that the singer couldn't mask her disappointment. "I...I-I'm so sorry, please let me explain..."

"Where's your mother?" Molly interrupted coldly.

"Molly, I..." The teen trailed off, glancing to Fiona and back, finding the courage to meet Molly's eyes. "Please, you have to believe...it's me. It's Rebecca."

Unable to move, Molly's mind recalled her earlier fight with Fiona. _"It's different now, Mom. You believe more than you did two years ago." "She wants to see you. So much, you have no idea how much...she just couldn't. She, uh...wasn't allowed..." "Fiona, the woman is my age with a kid of her own. She's allowed to see whoever she wants." "Not exactly, in both cases..."_ Taking a step back, she glared at both teens. "What does that mean?" she snapped, feeling irrational fury and confusion take over. "Granted, you look exactly like your mother – God, you even dress like she did back then – but you can't be the same Rebecca I was friends with thirty years ago. What, I'm supposed to think you're immortal?" She froze when Fiona and "Rebecca" exchanged knowing glances. "Oh, God. I'm supposed to think you're immortal, aren't I?"

"Not immortal," Fiona supplied.

Rebecca nodded. "Right, I do age. Just not at the same rate everyone else does." At Molly's inquisitive expression, she added, "It takes me a hundred years to get one human year older."

"And are you human?" Molly asked, going along with this for the moment. Rebecca's phrasing made Molly think of her mother Kathleen labeling witches as "not human."

The strange question threw Rebecca off. "Of course I am, what..." Her eyes widened, again, as she looked from mother to daughter and back. Then she muttered what sounded like a swear word in some language Molly didn't recognize. "Witches. I suspected it when we first met but have forgotten since. That's how Fiona knew I was in this city."

Fiona's jaw dropped, amazed that she'd been "outed." This was a twist when she always accused paranormal beings of hiding secrets from her. "Okay, I guess I shouldn't be surprised you know about magic, but how'd you know about us? Mom didn't even admit she was a witch until a few months ago."

"After living for so long, you develop a sense for other-worldliness in people. It's like our 'sixth sense,'" Rebecca explained. "And a skill needed for survival. You're okay for about the first hundred years, but when you reach the two- and three-hundreds, word gets around in the supernatural realm. I smelled 'witch' on Molly the second we met, but since she never brought the subject up I let it go. Honestly that's not easy to do with the amount of power you two radiate." She turned to Fi. "It crossed my awareness with you as well, but like your mother, you didn't speak of it. I thought that was unusual when you clearly had an open mind."

Shrugging sheepishly, Fi replied, "I always thought it was possible, but I couldn't be sure until my grandmother confirmed everything."

"Wait a second," Molly interrupted, feeling the conversation veer off-topic. She glared at Rebecca...even though it was awkward having an adult discussion with a "teenager" who looked younger than Fiona. "You've always known what I was, but you still refused to tell me what you were? I spent thirty years wondering what happened to you." Molly reflected on her choice of words. "And maybe that doesn't seem like a long time to you, but it did to me!"

Rebecca stepped forward, determined to resolve the misunderstanding that had spanned three decades. "Molly...I'm so sorry. Please believe that I never intended to hurt you. Back when you insisted on celebrating my birthday, I made up my mind to tell you that morning. But my parents suspected this and forced us to move the night before." She paused as tears appeared in her eyes, her voice breaking. "I-I...I cried for over a month and never forgave them for not respecting me. I'm over thirteen-hundred years old, but they still control my life."

There was silence as Molly absorbed the long-awaited apology, her face deceptively stoic. Fiona added, "That's what happened two years ago, Mom. Her parents saw me when I went to visit her."

Looking at Rebecca again, Molly was still undecided about all this. Could she believe that the Rebecca in front of her was the only best friend she had as a teenager? If this was a lie, it was an elaborate one with no discernible motive. For logic's sake Molly had to ask the expected question. "How do I know this is real?" she said in a near-whisper.

Hope in her eyes, Rebecca tentatively inched closer to her best friend. She took Molly's hand. "By remembering." As Molly's ring glowed brighter and brighter through the clasped fingers, her vision blurred until she saw...nothing.

* * *

She wanted to scream for help but couldn't find her voice. The gray-white before her eyes morphed into a tunnel that felt like a black hole or a worm hole, darkening in color as the speed picked up. It reminded Molly of a daring carnival ride but not nearly as fun. Her stomach threatened to turn on her as she sped through the tunnel, her feet never moving while her hair flew behind her face.

 _Stop!_ Her mind shouted. _Please, stop! I can't –_

When everything screeched to a halt, she would've fallen if her feet weren't glued to the floor. The relief didn't last more than a second before the memories surrounded her.

* * *

After an exhausting day touring all of Phoenix, Jack and Carey were hungry again when they finally trudged into the theater. Going backstage, they looted the snack table set out for the band and crew, then fell into nearby metal folding chairs. The chairs went with the card table Ned had brought for Jack and Fiona's school session. He'd been a little annoyed when he heard the siblings would be exploring the town instead, but he agreed to postpone their lesson until the afternoon.

Though concern for his family was ever-present in the back of his mind, Jack began to relax as he chugged almost an entire water bottle. He put his drink back on the table and lifted his head up towards the ceiling in a prayer of gratitude. "Thank you."

"I know, man," Carey grumbled, downing half a sports drink. "Next time your sister drags us on a field trip, remind me to just say no. That last store owner threatened to arrest me!"

"What's this I hear about my son being arrested?"

They looked over at Ned, who walked towards them with an armload of textbooks and notes. He placed the school materials on the tabletop and sat down across from his son. "Oh, uh, I was joking, Dad," Carey said quickly.

"Uh huh," Ned replied, shaking his head. "Come on, tell me what happened. I want to have all the facts before I share the good news with your mother – so we can both beam with pride."

While Jack held in a chuckle at Ned's sarcasm, Carey explained, "It was all Fi's fault, okay? She's determined to find Rebecca. After taking us to every museum in the freaking city, she sends me off to antique shops because Rebecca's parents are antique dealers."

"Good thinking Fiona," Ned commented, impressed. "How did that almost get you arrested?"

Carey stared at the sports drink bottle in his hands, focusing on removing the wrapper to avoid eye contact. "I'm not really comfortable with going undercover, okay? I had to act like you and mom were looking to buy, but when the owner started asking about your taste and how he could contact you, I started rambling so I wouldn't have to answer the question..."

"Sort of like now," Ned noted.

"He thought I was a shoplifter," Carey insisted, concluding his story. "He accused me of making up the story about my parents, which I did, but he thought I was trying to distract him while a partner in crime walked out with the goods. Finally I just ran out of there."

Sighing with relief, Ned replied, "Well it could've been worse. And Irene said you actually found Rebecca? Molly dropped everything here to meet her at the bus."

Jack and Carey traded confused glances. "We found Rebecca's daughter," Jack clarified. "Not Rebecca herself. Why would..." He closed his eyes, fighting off a sudden wave a nausea. "Sorry, I guess I'm still dehydrated or..."

"Are you okay, Jack?" Ned asked, looking at him with concern. "This theater has a prop room with a couch, you could crash there."

Jack shook his head, but the small act only increased the queasiness and brought on a migraine. He put his face in his hands to try and massage his forehead. Through the darkness of his closed eyelids a dull light began to glow brighter. "What's going on?" he mumbled.

While Jack couldn't see or reply to his friend, he could hear the panic when Carey shouted, "Jack! Jack! Dad, what do we do?"

"Molly left her phone here, run to the bus as fast as you can. Your mother and I will stay with Jack."

Jack wanted to tell them that he was going to be alright, but with the pain and light blinding him, he wasn't even sure if that was true. Carey, Ned and the noise of the backstage area faded away completely until he doubted they were still there. He felt himself rushed forward through a light tunnel until he collided with an unfamiliar scene.

Wait, no, he knew this place. He also knew that he wasn't the present version of himself anymore.

 _This again?_ Jack wanted to yell or punch the wall (not advisable since these were made of bricks). Visions of his past life as a medieval knight had haunted him for a while after Fiona became a practicing witch. The two siblings' magic was connected, so when she embraced her power, he began having more of the visions he'd experienced sporadically throughout his life.

He'd thought he was done since he hadn't received a vision since then. Apparently he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. When the "memory" began, he could only watch through Sir Jerrard's eyes.

 _The Great Hall had been prepared for a feast. His wife Thea only lived in the manor with him for less than a month so far, but already she was accepted by the residents and regarded with respect. She wanted to thank them for their graciousness by inviting prominent locals over for a meal. Though reluctant to pressure his new bride into hosting an event so soon, he thought it was a wonderful way to earn some goodwill._

 _As Jerrard put an arm around Thea, intending to thank her for her efforts, the doorbell rang. A servant approached them. "Sir Jerrard, Lady Thea, your first guests have arrived."_

 _Thea smiled wide, eager to welcome her guests. She thanked the servant and rushed to the Hall entrance, her husband a step behind her. A sophisticated couple, Jerrard's best guest would have been merchants, stepped into the Great Hall with their young daughter. She appeared to be no older than seven. The family paused long enough for the servant to make introductions._

" _Sir Jerrard, Lady Thea, may I introduce the Habib family – Phineas, Isobel, and their daughter Rebecca."_

 _Jack's surroundings turned to solid gray without any warning. The shock of what he learned kept him from worrying about snapping out of the vision. Oh my God...I've met Rebecca before? How is this possible? Was that Rebecca her ancestor?_

 _He looked to his right and gasped. His mother stood there in a similar zombie-like state. Regaining his voice, Jack shouted, "Mom! Mom, it's me Jack! Wake up!"_

Only, he woke up instead. The backstage area took shape as he gasped for air. Ned and Irene hovered around him, both extremely relieved when they realized he was regaining consciousness. Irene handed him a bottle of water and felt his forehead for a fever, even though she didn't look like she expected to find one. "Thank God, you're back." She put her hands on his shoulders as she checked his eyes for dilated pupils. "That was freaking scary, Jack Phillips. Don't you ever do that again."

"I wouldn't if it was up to me," Jack assured her, then remembered the last part of his vision. "Did Carey get Mom and Fi yet? Are they okay?"

Irene sighed. "It was a vision, wasn't it?" When he nodded, grateful he didn't have to launch into a complex explanation, she said, "First Fiona's dream, then your mother, then you, all in one day. I really don't like this, Jack. What the hell is going on here?"

Her frustrated questions reflected his opinion on the subject perfectly.

* * *

Fiona rushed forward the moment her mother's eyes rolled back, the ring still glowing faintly as Molly collapsed. "Mom!" she yelled, catching her mother while stunned Rebecca looked on in confusion and guilt. "Rebecca, help her! What did you do?" Fiona demanded. She managed to drag her mother over to a side bench, lying her on top of it.

Tears returning to her eyes, Rebecca answered, "It's another ability. If we wish to reunite with allies, we can help their descendants access an ancestor's or past life's memories so they remember trusting us. In Molly's case I wanted her to remember our childhood together. Fiona...this has never happened before."

"Is it because she's psychic?" Fiona asked, becoming frantic. While she wanted her mother to believe Rebecca, she would never put her in danger to make that happen. "What do we do now?"

The near-immortal showed signs of panic. Rebecca's breathing shortened, her eyes widened, her hands fiddled with the necklace she wore. "W-we can't call my parents," she said. "We can't. T-they didn't want me contacting her at all, so if they knew what I just did...possibly the stupidest thing in thirteen-hundred years..."

"A spell!" Fi exclaimed. "Maybe there's a spell that can help!"

They both whirled around when Molly began to push herself up from the bench. As she covered her face with her hands, they could see that the ring had stopped glowing. "I'm okay," she mumbled. "I'll never go on a roller-coaster again, but I'm better now."

Fiona hugged her mother, ignoring the random statement. "What happened? What did you see?

"Everything and then some. I'm pretty sure my entire life just flashed before my eyes." Catching Rebecca's emotional state, Molly pushed off the bench to face her. "Rebecca, I'm okay, really. Don't get me wrong, whatever you did was terrifying and I never want to experience that again, but I remembered. I remembered when we were friends...every day we spent at the beach, or the park, or the record store..."

The use of Rebecca's name did not go unnoticed by Fi. She couldn't help smiling as she stood next to them. "So you believe us?" Her mother nodded, too emotional to speak.

Rebecca also smiled. "I remember that too, Molly." The reunited best friends hugged, crying out of happiness along with sadness for the thirty years lost.

They both wiped away tears while they sat across from each other at the table, Fiona next to her mother. Rebecca steadied her nerves and looked at Molly. "I said this to Fiona the last time we met, but I want you to know how much I wanted to call when I read about Rick's accident. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you, Rebecca," Molly replied quietly. "It means so much to finally hear that from you." She paused while she thought of something to say. "This would be when I asked you what you've been doing since eighth grade, but..."

"But I'm still in eighth grade." Rebecca folded her arms on the tabletop, her eyes wistful. "Well, ninth. My parents change my records on occasion so I can at least experience different grades. Since they were born before anyone even thought of birth certificates, my parents have become experts at forging documents. It's better to tell people I skipped a few grades rather than try to pass myself off as older. This works because, as you can imagine, most teachers think I'm a certified genius."

Molly leaned back on the seat, her expression full of sympathy for her friend. "No, I can't imagine," she said. "Why do you do it?"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Put yourself through this torture," Molly elaborated. "You've lived such a long life that you're at least as smart as the average adult. Why don't you and your parents spend your time doing whatever you want? I certainly wouldn't have attended school if I already knew everything."

Seeing what her mother meant, Fi nodded. "Yeah! Even though you look like you're thirteen, you don't have to go to school. That's speaking from experience. Because of Mom's tour, I haven't seen a classroom in two years and I'm actually a teenager. Jack and I have been home-schooled by Mr. Bell since we all went on the road."

"Ah." Rebecca smiled at both of them with gratitude, flattered they cared enough to ask. "It's sweet of you to be worried about me. You're both right in that I could easily avoid school if I chose, and for many years, that is what I did. But like my parents did before me, I soon learned that hiding from society is not the answer. The loneliness becomes too much to bear. While keeping our family's secret is dangerous at times, creating the illusion of a normal life is worth the risk...even if we are never truly accepted by others."

She looked Molly in the eye as she continued, "I also prefer to spend my time with those 'my own age.' This might sound egotistical, but to me, being their peer is an opportunity to guide and inspire them. If I could 'grow up' and follow a typical career path, I would be a teacher."

The underlying message was not lost on Molly. Putting a hand on Fiona's shoulder for moral support, she stared at Rebecca in awe. "You inspired me. I haven't told anyone this, but you...you're the reason I'm a musician. When we listened to all those records and talked about our favorite music, that's when I thought it might be in my future. You encouraged me to write lyrics."

"Whoa," Fi whispered. All of this new information spun around her brain in a whirlwind, making connections and forming a better picture of Rebecca's lifestyle. _She's trapped,_ Fiona realized, her heart breaking for the near-immortal. _Doomed to wander the earth for thousands of years. This plane of existence must feel like a prison to her. There must be some way to break the "curse," but what? Is this really just because Rebecca drew the rarest straw from the human DNA pool?_ "There has to be more," Fi muttered under her breath.

Her statement hadn't been quiet enough to escape notice. Almost afraid to push since she knew how creative her daughter's mind could be, Molly hesitantly asked, "What is it, baby?" Rebecca also looked on with curiosity.

Fi sheepishly snapped out of her thoughts. She hadn't intended to express her half-baked theory until it was fully-baked. "Oh, uh, I was just thinking about...a missing puzzle piece, I guess you could call it." She then spoke directly to Rebecca. "A couple years ago, you told me this was genetic. Are there more people like you and your family? I mean, your mom and dad came from two different families with the same gene, so there has to be others. Why don't you live with them?"

Giving her daughter a sideways glance, Molly replied, "Isn't that like asking us why we don't live with my parents, or the people I grew up with in my hometown? Life is about evolving and reaching beyond the place where you started."

Rebecca smiled at her best friend. "It's funny, I've always believed your wisdom was one of the reasons we bonded as much as we did." Turning to Fi, she added, "Your mother is correct, Fiona. There are a few dozen of my kind, but they are scattered around the world and also choose to be nomads. It would be easier for us to be discovered if we all lived together."

"So your parents don't keep in touch with anyone outside your family?" Fiona pressed.

Shrugging, Rebecca answered, "Every few hundred years we'll come across another like us, either due to coincidence or intent, but we don't consider this person 'family' because we happen to share a particular gene. Why do you ask, Fiona?"

"I was hoping there might be some background on this," Fi answered. "Or if anyone was working on a 'cure.' There has to be a way to..." She paused, realizing how wrong it sounded to speed up someone's aging so they were closer to death. "Uh...change your condition?"

"You mean end my life," the thirteen-hundred-year-old replied teasingly, acknowledging how awkward it was for Fiona to pose this question.

While Rebecca understood the context, Molly didn't. "Fiona! I know Rebecca's situation sounds awful, but I'm sure she'd rather live to be five thousand than reverse it. Life is hard but it's always better than the alternative - "

"Molly, please, I am not offended," Rebecca interrupted. "Your daughter was right. After living so long and going through so much, I would give anything to 'age normally' and leave this earth in less than a hundred years. It would be welcome relief."

Tears reappeared in Molly's eyes at the morbid confession. "H-have you talked about this with your parents? Do they feel the same way?

"It goes unspoken. They would never admit it, but we all sense it," Rebecca answered.

"There must be something we can do..." Fiona insisted, already lost in "research mode." When Molly and Rebecca gave her doubtful looks, she argued, "We have to at least try, don't we? Why else would I have dreamed that vision and known to search the city today? I'm thinking that, as witches, our family might be Rebecca's best chance."

They all stood from the table when the bus door burst open. Gasping for air after sprinting, Carey stumbled on the stairs as he ran the rest of the way towards them. "Molly...Jack...he..."

"What happened? Is he okay?" Fiona exclaimed, panic filling her heart for the second time in about ten minutes. Then she realized the two incidents might be related. "Wait, is he having a vision?"

Carey nodded. "I think so, but he looked like he was in pain and it kind of freaked us out."

"Thanks Carey," Molly replied. "Stay here and rest. I'll go back to the theater now and check on him." She then turned to her friend. "I'm so sorry Rebecca..."

"No, go help your son," Rebecca said, hugging Molly good-bye. "I promise, I will do everything in my power to see you and Fiona again before you leave. My parents will not be able to stop me." She also hugged Fiona. "I am interested in your theories, Fiona, and I look forward to hearing them."

"They'll be ready," Fi replied. They all left together, but when they reached the sidewalk, Rebecca began walking towards the bus that would take her back to the museum. Glancing at her mother, Fiona sensed they were both having the same thought – could they dare to hope that things had really changed, or would one more promise be broken?


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Even though Rebecca's revelations overwhelmed her minutes before, Molly only thought of her son on the way to the theater. She remembered seeing Jack in her weird vision tunnel. When she woke up she'd dismissed it, but not after Carey's announcement. Rebecca's power must have pulled him in.

They'd parked about ten blocks away from the theater. Like Carey, they ran as fast as they could. Irene met them at the end of the theater's block and walked back with them. "Hes fine, Mol," she insisted. "We made him lie down in the back room and drink a lot of water." She paused. "Not that there's a protocol for recovering from psychic visions."

"Was he in pain?" Molly asked, her heart still racing. She speed-walked the rest of the block and threw open the side door to the backstage area. "What did he see?"

"We knew he'd have to repeat himself when you two got here, so we didn't push."

They found Jack and Ned in a half-empty prop room. The large space held a variety of second-hand living room and bedroom furniture from past performances. Jack sprawled out on a sunken-in couch, a fresh water bottle in his hand. Ned sat right next to him, his attempt to appear calm failing him. In that instant Molly couldn't be more grateful to have Ned and Irene Bell as her chosen extended family.

Carey arrived a minute later, no longer flushed. He gave Jack his own concerned once-over before pulling up a chair next to his father. "Hey Jack, still got that headache?"

While his face looked a little pale, Jack pushed himself into a sitting position. "Nah, I'm fine."

"Did you faint too?" Fiona asked, sitting on the couch next to her brother. "Mom didn't say anything about a headache though."

The Bells and Jack gave Molly alarmed glances. "'Too'?" Jack exclaimed, his voice an octave higher than usual. "Too? Okay Fi, this is the part where you tell us what the heck is going on. I don't care what Rebecca might have said. We all have a right to know, especially when Mom and I were hurt because of it."

Molly caught the pained expression on her daughter's face, and she understood that Rebecca probably wouldn't be happy about this. But Molly couldn't sidestep the question after everything they'd all experienced that day. She avoided eye contact with Fiona and faced the others.

"Rebecca's immortal," Molly said. Four pairs of eyes widened while she continued. Molly fought back a wave of sudden emotion as she thought of her talk with Rebecca. "Well, technically she ages slowly, but she's hundreds of years old and still looks thirteen. She hasn't changed at all since we were kids...wait..." She froze as the realization sunk in. "Oh, God. My only friend from middle school was over a thousand years older than me. She must've thought I was so immature."

"You and everyone else," Irene pointed out. "Thirty years isn't much of a difference either when you think about it."

Molly groaned, reliving her old embarrassment and insecurity. "God," she muttered. "I'm a child."

"At least it makes you feel young," Ned joked. "I know I do."

Irene gave Molly a reassuring smile. "Hey, Rebecca still hung out with you, didn't she? Out of the hundreds, thousands of people she met during her many years on this earth, she picked you to be her best friend. I'd wonder about that instead if I were you."

 _Irene's right._ Molly couldn't help feeling a little flattered, but also unnerved. _Why me? What makes me so special? Is it because of my witch heritage?_ The uneasiness ebbed and moved on to sadness mixed with longing. _I've never been normal, have I?_

Meanwhile, stunned Carey turned to Fiona for confirmation. "So that girl from the museum wasn't Rebecca's daughter. She was _the_ Rebecca."

"Yup." Distracted Fiona kept her gaze on Jack. He'd been silent so far and his face betrayed little emotion other than his initial surprise. "Hey, anyone home in there?" she asked her brother, only half-kidding.

His quiet reply shocked them all. "I think I knew Rebecca in a past life."

* * *

An hour later the group returned to the bus and compared notes. Fiona even typed them into her computer so she could put them with her first dream, the one that sent them on this adventure. Together they'd help Rebecca. Fiona didn't know how, but she felt it in her gut. They'd find an answer.

Hopefully Rebecca would meet with them again when they did. One problem at a time.

"How's it going over there?" Fiona asked. She'd assigned spell book research to her mother and the Bells. They could mark the pages relevant to immortality/"slow aging" while she combed the Internet.

Of course, the adults cringed at the thought of going through the spell book. Molly and Ned grudgingly stuck with it since they couldn't top Fi's web searching skills. Irene outright said she'd rather work than pretend to be useful in a magical crisis. Before the end of the first chapter she rushed back to the theater under the guise of asking the manager about their practice schedule.

As for Jack and Carey, their big idea was to take a nap. Jack argued that he might have more dreams about his past life. No one minded since he did have a point, not to mention the poor guy literally passed out earlier. Carey just wanted to take a nap after running around Phoenix most of the day.

"Not well," Ned grumbled. "Half of this stuff isn't even in English."

Fiona grinned at him. "That's how I feel when I do my math homework."

"Walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"But half of this is in another language," Molly added. "Some are in English but others are...Gaelic, I guess?" She closed the book over with one hand and massaged her forehead with the other. "I don't think it's as simple as finding the right spell. I mean, if it was, Rebecca and her parents would've asked other witches to cast it for them long before now."

Fiona thought of that too but wanted to be thorough. "We have to cross out one possibility before trying the next, don't we?" she replied. "Especially since I have no clue what 'the next' will be."

"I can't help you there," Molly admitted. She reached for her nearby cell phone. "But we might be able to resolve this possibility with a single phone call. We've both forgotten the best resource on witchcraft we know."

"Grandma! Why didn't we think of her sooner?"

"That's my cue to check on Irene." Ned stood up and headed for the door. "Tell Mrs. McQuinn I said hello, and call me if anything develops."

They both said absentminded goodbyes while Molly dialed her mother's phone number. She held the phone out and turned the volume up so Fiona could listen. "Hi, Ma. I'm here with Fiona. Do you have a minute to answer a witch-related question?"

 _Kathleen's chipper Irish accent filled the bus common area. "Always, love! Hello to you too, Fiona. How are you both liking the tour so far?"_

Fiona and Molly held the phone between them while they tried to chat with Kathleen. They realized the difficulty in holding a three-way conversation on a cell phone with spotty service. Kathleen kept asking them to repeat things until finally she said...

 _"Oh, this is ridiculous. I'll pop on over. Let me tell Colin I'm leaving."_

Fiona and her mother shared alarmed glances. Kathleen lived several states away, so she would be using a teleportation spell. They'd experienced this more than once in the past, and while grateful for her help, Fiona and Molly worried the older witch would start "popping in" whenever she wanted and staying as long as she liked. In that way she'd become a nicer version of Endora from Bewitched.

"Ma, really, that's not necessary - "

 _"Who said anything about 'necessary'? See you in a moment, Molly."_

The call ended. "T minus five minutes?" Fiona joked.

"If that." Molly sighed, closed her phone, then looked around the messy bus. "I'll do what I can out here. Go warn your brother so he has time to freshen up. She'll want to see him."

"Will do."

* * *

Fiona tried to rouse her brother, but he mumbled "okay Mom" without opening his eyes and went back to sleep. She didn't push after everything he'd been through. Instead she closed the door to his room, hoping he would sleep through their grandmother's visit. She also hoped that visit would be short. Fiona felt bad enough that Jack and the Bells found out about Rebecca's secret. Her grandmother would be one more person in the know, even if they did need her help.

The common area looked much better when she returned. "Wow," she said, admiring the cleared table and other junk-free surfaces. Her mother stood by the door with a tied-up trash bag in her hand. "That was less than five minutes. Did you find a cleaning spell in the book?"

"Very funny." Molly paused, then glanced at the spell book. It remained on the seat by the window. "Do you think there's an actual cleaning spell?"

"Of course there is, love. Witches would not have gone this long without inventing one."

Fiona had been looking at her mother, so she never saw her grandmother appear behind her near the window. "Hi Grandma," she said, hugging Kathleen while Molly discreetly tossed the bag of trash outside. "I'm glad you're here."

Molly also hugged her mother in greeting. "Hi, Ma. I admit I'm still not used to meeting like this."

"We'll all adjust in time," Kathleen replied. They took seats around the common area. Molly and Fi sat on either side of the table, while Kathleen claimed the window seat. "Goodness, I don't think I've seen your tour bus yet. You three and the Bell family travel together in this tiny space? You must really like each other."

Molly and Fiona laughed. "They're our family too," Molly said, then moved on to business. "So Ma, what do you know about immortality? Or slow aging? Fiona's spell book didn't mention it."

"I don't imagine it would." At their perplexed expressions, Kathleen explained, "A good witch obeys certain laws, and one of those laws is to 'do no harm.' Messing around with life and death inevitably causes harm. Immortality might seem like a blessing but it is a curse in disguise. An immortal being, no matter who they are, suffers centuries of emotional pain without promise of release. There is no hope for them." She noticed her daughter and granddaughter become increasingly heartbroken in response to her speech. "What in the world is going on here?"

Fiona glanced at her mother, who hesitated. She decided to be as vague as possible. "We met someone who's over a thousand years old," Fiona answered. "She ages, but it takes a hundred years for her to get one year older."

"Gracious," Kathleen whispered, her hand covering her heart. "I've heard of people like that, but to be honest, I wasn't sure they existed."

"Says the woman with magical powers," Molly joked.

Fiona's disappointment grew even more. If witches couldn't change immortality, and her grandmother didn't know anything about it, she might not have the ability to "cure" Rebecca after all. "So we won't be able to help Rebecca then."

"Fi!" Molly exclaimed.

"Oops." The name had slipped out. Fiona forgot that Grandma Kathleen would remember Rebecca from when she was friends with Molly.

"Rebecca..." Kathleen trailed off while she tried to place the name. "Oh, goodness. You can't be talking about that Rebecca, it must be a coincidence."

Molly lowered her eyes. "Yes, Ma. That Rebecca. The one who disappeared."

"Yes, how can I forget? You moped around for weeks after she left," Kathleen replied, oblivious to Molly's building annoyance. "We all wondered why they left so suddenly without a word to anyone, but you really took it to heart. Immortality would explain it since we'd have noticed if their daughter never got older. Imagine, a child who's really hundreds of years old!"

"That's where the immortal part comes in," Molly snapped.

Fiona grimaced. While Molly finally knew Rebecca's secret, the past still hurt. Fiona redirected their talk back to the main problem to avoid a full-blown fight. "She hates it, Grandma. It's like you said - she's stuck here without hope. Especially since her parents still treat her like a kid and control her life."

Sympathy replaced the shock in Kathleen's eyes. "How awful. She's so desperate that she wants to become mortal?"

"She said it herself," Molly assured her. "I can't understand it either, but she wants to age like the rest of us. It would probably be better for her if she at least looked like an adult. Then she could live life how she wanted and break away from her parents."

Her mother's words inspired Fiona. She hopped from her seat and paced the aisle between her two surprised family members. "Well, if we can't reverse her immortality," Fi began, the new train of thought reigniting her energy. "What if we just made her look older? Would it be against the rules if we cast a shape-shifting spell?"

"Not technically," Kathleen replied, contemplating the idea. She elaborated when she saw the excitement on her family's faces. "I'm afraid it would be too complex to maintain long-term. It would be one thing if Rebecca stayed the same age, but she will grow on her own after a few hundred years. A permanent shape-shifting spell could damage the natural process." While Fiona and Molly resumed their saddened state, Kathleen continued, "But I like how you think, Fiona. There might be something...in this book, actually."

Her daughter and granddaughter watched intently as she flipped open the big magic book. "It's a common spell," she said. "The person or object doesn't change physically, just their outward appearance. Rebecca would remain herself but appear older. You should enchant a piece of jewelry so she can remove the spell if she chooses." Annoyed when the right page eluded her, Kathleen held her hands over the open book.

The pages turned back and forth on their own. Molly's jaw dropped, and Fiona shook her head in amazement. After a minute the pages settled down to reveal "The Perception Spell." Kathleen raised an eyebrow at them. "What, you're not used to this sort of thing by now?"

"We uh, just didn't expect it," Molly replied.

"Yeah," Fiona agreed. "You make it look so easy."

Kathleen gave them a reassuring smile. "You'll get there, loves."

An opening door and shuffling footsteps sounded from the hallway. The three witches glanced up as Jack stumbled into view, looking disheveled after his nap. He ran a hand through hair that stuck out in odd places. "Hey, Fi?" he called, unaware of their guest. "I had this weird dream that you guys were summoning Grandma again with that teleportation spell thingie..." His face transformed from sleepy to humiliated when he spotted his amused grandmother on the window seat. "Okay, not a dream."

When Molly sent her daughter an exasperated glance, Fiona held up her hands in defense. "He wouldn't wake up so I let him nap. The poor guy clearly needs his beauty sleep."

* * *

Another house in another city, another prison she wanted to escape. Rebecca spent most of her long life sneaking away from her parents' watchful eyes. The injustice, the indignity, continuously burned her pride over and over for hundreds of years. Her parents feared exposure so much that they could never trust their child. They would always view her as a threat, an unpredictable element in their shield against the outside world.

Her parents planned to move again. She stood on the other side of the kitchen entrance, listening to them discuss the risk of staying in the same town as Molly Phillips. They'd seen the concert posters and worried Rebecca would reach out to her again. Rebecca denied it at dinner, insisted she'd "learned her lesson" after they caught her talking to Fiona last year. They decided to leave town anyway. Her word meant nothing to them.

Then again, she had lied through her teeth. They brought this on themselves. If they treated her like the ancient being she was, as an equal, she'd respect their wishes in return.

She'd been too afraid to run away before. They were her only family, and she couldn't do much on her own since she looked so young. Staying with them, pretending to be a student, seemed like her best option. Now she might have a better one. After centuries of this limited existence, she could have a chance to break from their control. She might even restart her friendship with Molly in the process.

Running away still scared her, but not enough to stop her. In a few hours, after her parents went to sleep, she would sneak out for the last time.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

A long day turned into an even longer night. Molly still couldn't sleep an hour everyone else retired to their rooms. She and Irene stayed in the common area sipping decaf tea, catching each other up on events since they parted that afternoon. Irene informed Molly of schedule changes, then Molly told Irene their solution to Rebecca's problem. The manager listened even though magic unnerved her. Like Jack, she'd rather not hear about it.

She did laugh when Molly told her about Ned's quick getaway. "So that's why Ned 'checked up' on me. What happened when you called your mother? I'm surprised she didn't 'pop in,' you know how she loves doing that..."

"Oh yeah, I know."

Irene picked up on Molly's underlying tone. "She did, didn't she?"

"She only stayed for a half hour this time, and she really helped us," Molly answered. She gave a brief explanation of their plan to alter Rebecca's appearance. They also decided to visit Rebecca at the museum the next day since they didn't have a phone number or home address.

"Man, how did our lives get like this?" Irene asked, leaning back in her seat. "You and Fiona are witches, who are going to enchant an object for your former best friend who's really over a thousand years old. I think the craziest part here is that I believe all of it."

A loud _thump_ outside the bus interrupted their quiet laughter. "What was that?" Molly asked out of instinct. She kept her eyes on the door. It had almost sounded like a knock. Fear shortened her breath and made her think of scary, unlikely possibilities.

"Maybe it's an animal," Irene suggested. "Lots of nocturnal animals in the desert. How many times have we passed through the southwest?" She sighed. "We should have booked a hotel."

"We had this discussion with Ned when we left Tucson. We're only here a couple days, so it was the perfect opportunity to save some money."

"Remember that when you're fending off this coyote. Or mountain lion."

"Why am _I_ fending off the coyote?"

"You're the one who can turn it into a toad."

"Oh, right."

Another _thump_ , this one louder. Molly and Irene held on to each other while they inched towards the windows above the bench to look out. Even though it was pitch black outside, Molly could see a shadowy female figure banging her arm on the door. A large knapsack hung on her back. "Oh my God," Molly whispered to Irene. "It's Rebecca!"

"Oh my God!" Irene echoed. "What's she doing here?"

Molly hit the button to open the door. "I don't know. It looks like she ran away."

"My mom always said you were a bad influence," Irene teased.

"Funny, Irene...wait, did your mom really say that?"

Before Irene could answer, Rebecca stepped onto the bus. She had tears in her eyes and jagged breath, looking like she'd literally run all the way from home. Each hand held a strap of her bag in a death grip. "You have to help me, Molly," she pleaded. "I can't go back there. I can't!"

Molly guided her distressed friend to a seat at the table. Conflicting emotions led to confused thoughts. Instinct said to call Rebecca's parents and let them know she was okay, but she wasn't one of Fiona's friends sneaking out after a bad fight. If a thirteen-hundred-year-old woman felt the need to run, she had a good reason for it. Molly also feared retaliation from Mr. and Mrs. Habib. God, how old were they? Did they have powers Rebecca wouldn't develop for another millennium?

After she'd refocused on present events, Molly noticed Rebecca glance at Irene, who also seemed unsure of what to do next. She realized her former best friend never met her current one. "Oh, Rebecca, this is my manager Irene Bell. I think you met her son, Carey. He's the guitarist in my band, and Irene's husband Ned is my head roadie, so they all tour with us. You can trust them."

"Hi," Rebecca said to Irene, still wary. "Fiona and Molly told you everything?"

Irene forced a smile. "Let's just say my family has been keeping their secrets for a while." When an awkward silence followed, she added, "It's nice to finally meet you. I feel like I know you from the song. I'm guessing you've heard it?"

Despite persistent tears, Rebecca's smile was genuine. "I have every album Molly ever recorded. The song she wrote for me is my most favorite song in the world."

The unexpected sentiment made Molly want to cry too. For so long she wondered if Rebecca even remembered her. Knowing she'd been missed, that Rebecca loved the song Molly wrote, felt like the best closure she could ever receive. "That's quite a compliment," she said, disguising her emotion with humor. "Considering you've probably heard every song in the world by now."

The group's laughter broke some of the tension. "I even brought the CD with me, the one that has my song on it," Rebecca said. She took off her knapsack and took out the CD, revealing the rest of her most prized possessions. "I couldn't leave it there, or my CD player."

"Are you sure you're a thousand years old?" Irene joked. "You sound like a typical teenager to me."

"Speaking of typical teenagers," Molly said, looking towards the back hallway. "I should wake up Fiona, if she's really asleep."

Irene waved a dismissive hand. "You two catch up. I'll get her."

"Thanks." While Rebecca held the CD, Molly noticed the other contents of her large bag. She could see some clothes mixed with jewelry. Jewelry and...antiques? Small items like candle holders mingled with necklaces, rings and bracelets. "Rebecca, I realize this is none of my business, but about your bag. It looks like you robbed a jewelry store."

Rebecca laughed and put her CD back in the bag. "I explained this to your daughter the last time I saw her. My family and I sell antiques. Something we buy at a market gains enormous value five-hundred years later. I brought these to sell since my parents never gave me much spending money."

"Wow." Molly couldn't think of anything else to say. It was another reminder of Rebecca's amazing, unique lifestyle. "So you're really running away?"

"You ran away?"

Molly and Rebecca looked up to see both Phillips siblings in the hall entryway. Fiona had asked the question. She seemed fully alert despite the late hour, her capris and t-shirt betraying that she'd never went to bed. In contrast, Jack woke up from a deep sleep for the second time that day. At least he'd remembered to brush his hair and throw on a presentable t-shirt over his pajama pants.

"Yes," Rebecca answered in response to both questions. "I'm sorry to disturb you all so late a night, but I was afraid I'd never get another chance. My parents are planning to move again tomorrow because they're afraid I'll contact you."

While the siblings took seats in the common area, Jack tried to make sense of her explanation through his sleepiness. "Wait, they're leaving town because of us? We're leaving in a couple of days."

Rebecca shrugged. "We would have moved soon anyway. It doesn't make a difference to them if we go now or later."

The defeated acceptance in her friend's voice caused Molly's heart to ache for her. As much as she hated being a teenager, she never had to move, and it didn't last for centuries. "Have you ever tried to run before?" Molly asked.

"No," Rebecca confessed. "It's complicated. I wouldn't have been able to live much of a life looking like a thirteen-year-old. Things changed after I talked to you and Fiona today. Nothing was definite and I know you might not be able to help me, but knowing this chance finally existed, I had to take it. Or I would regret it for literally hundreds of years. Leaving my parents was the price I had to pay. I can't go back there now that I've defied them, even if this doesn't work out."

To everyone's surprise, Jack smirked at her heartfelt declaration. "I don't care how old you are, you sure sound like a teenager to me."

While Rebecca glared at him, Fiona chuckled. "You might be onto something, Jack," she agreed. "Rebecca, we feel for you, but you can always go back home. I've messed up a bunch of times and have never been so scared that I needed to run. Your parents might be mad at first but they'll be glad to have you back, no matter what happens."

That moment erased any doubts Molly ever had about her parenting abilities. She would have beamed with pride if her friend didn't look so upset. "Rebecca, we'll help you any way we can," Molly said. "But it shouldn't involve cutting your parents out of your life. I've been there myself, you know. I left home at eighteen and didn't go back until I had my kids. Now that I'm closer to them, I really wish I'd worked harder to repair our relationship before then." She hesitated, noting how scared Rebecca seemed when she mentioned her parents. "Unless...they've treated you badly. That's another issue."

A brief, solemn silence followed. Rebecca stared down at her lap. "The definition of abuse changes from generation to generation," she whispered. "They love me, I think."

"I'm sure they do." Molly realized they wouldn't be able to resolve this problem with one little pep talk. She redirected the conversation towards a more upbeat subject. "Well, Fiona and I did some research after you left today. We have an idea."

* * *

A half hour later, Fiona and her family had explained their plan to Rebecca. She appreciated their effort but felt overwhelming disappointment after learning they couldn't turn her mortal. Needing to think things over, Rebecca went back outside for fresh air and privacy. She still didn't know if she wanted to use the Perception Spell. While eager for her freedom, she wanted time to wrap her mind around such a drastic step.

Fiona and Molly worried she might run again. Even though Rebecca left her knapsack by the table, Fiona stayed by the window seat to keep an eye on her. Rebecca leaned against the bus just under the window, her arms wrapped around herself while she stared up at the sky.

Jack and Molly sat on either side of the table. Fiona wondered why her big brother felt the need to stay awake with them. (She didn't even know why he'd been awake in the first place. Maybe Irene knocking on Fiona's door woke him up.) He probably didn't want to miss anything important, or trust Rebecca enough to leave his family alone with her. They all worried about the Habib parents showing up any moment. Despite this, Fiona turned around to address Jack. He appeared worn out even after his nap during the day. "You can go back to bed, Jack," she offered. "Mom and I will handle the Perception Spell. I know magic freaks you out."

"It doesn't freak me out." When his family gave him dubious glances, he sighed. "Okay, it does, but I won't be able to sleep knowing all this stuff is going on. I wasn't sleeping well either thanks to Sir Jerrard and Lady Thea."

"You had another dream?" Molly asked, concerned.

He shrugged. "It didn't even seem important. Just a continuation of the one before, where I...uh, Jerrard, sat around this big table sharing a meal with Rebecca's family. When I woke up, Mrs. B was telling Fi about Rebecca showing up here." He avoided eye contact with them, his gaze on the floor. "It's weird how connected I feel to that world, like I was actually there. I feel closer to Rebecca now because of it. Is that crazy?"

"You're asking us?" Fiona replied, making them all laugh. "You're not the only one figuring things out as you go along."

Molly patted the hand her son left on table. "She's right, baby. The best any of us can do is deal with what we're given." She tilted her head, as if considering a new thought. "I question if we're doing the right thing here. For Rebecca, I mean."

"Why not?" Fiona asked. "She's miserable now. With this spell, she'll be less miserable."

Not convinced, Molly shook her head. "I've been thinking about what my mother said. Playing around with life and death is dangerous. If we allow her to 'grow up' ahead of schedule, how will that affect her long-term? What if there are side-effects or unpredictable consequences?"

"She'll still be herself underneath the spell," Fiona argued. Her mother's reasoning got to her though. An object allowing Rebecca to change her appearance would give the near-immortal even more power.

"I get what Mom's talking about," Jack said. "Fi, what are adults always telling us? 'Don't be in such a hurry to grow up.' Rebecca does age, right? So, if you do the math, she'll look eighteen in about five hundred years. She'll even get old and, presumably, pass on like the rest of us. What if she comes to regret skipping her teenage years? As much as we complain about wanting to grow up, most adults wouldn't cut that time out of their lives."

Molly jokingly made a "so-so" hand-motion. "Emphasis on most," she explained. "I would have given anything to 'skip ahead' to adulthood back then. But it's true, if I had, I would've missed out on some great moments. I would also be a different person now. Giving her this shortcut today could set her personality on the wrong path. What if she never learns what we all learn as teenagers? How to deal with life, how to become better people? She clearly has the emotions of a teenager even if she is over a thousand years old."

An uneasy knot settled in Fiona's stomach. Were they hurting Rebecca more than helping? They already told Rebecca about the spell, so did their opinions on it matter now? Fiona couldn't dismiss that Rebecca hated living with her parents and wanted to escape. The semi-immortal wanted it so much that she'd been willing to speed up her aging process. That couldn't be normal teenager stuff. "I still think we need to help her somehow," Fiona insisted. "We can't let her suffer until she does something more drastic than run away from home. Maybe it doesn't even have to be magical. What if we got her to talk with her parents?"

"Maybe, but they sound intense," Jack said. "You knew them, Mom. What were they like? Were they really so awful?"

Her brow wrinkled, Molly struggled to remember the details from her distant past. "I barely saw them," she confessed. "Rebecca always came over my house or we went to places in the neighborhood. Sometimes I saw them working on the garden in their front yard, but that was it. If we did cross paths they treated me like a stranger." She sighed as another loose end resolved itself. "It makes sense now. They never got close to anyone because they moved around so much. Just like Rebecca."

"Except she opened up to you," Fiona pointed out.

"Yeah," Molly agreed, an odd expression on her face. "Except for me. I still don't know what to think about that."

Fiona shrugged. "I think it's like Rebecca said before. She could sense you were different too, that 'supernatural radar' of hers. She would've told you everything if her parents didn't make her move." She checked the window again. Rebecca hadn't budged. "I really think she needs to talk to her parents about all this. She'll regret it if she cuts ties with them completely. At least now she'll have some leverage to make them listen to her."

"'Leverage'?" Jack questioned.

"The spell," Fiona explained. "She has a choice now. If they don't listen to her, she can leave."

* * *

Molly stepped off the bus and into the cool desert night. Billions of stars dotted the clear, dark sky. She arched her head back to take it all in, the view overtaking thoughts of coyotes or mountain lions. The quiet night made it easy to believe no one else was around for miles. If she hadn't been in the middle of a crisis right then, she might have tried to write some music.

Rebecca stood under the common area window. She leaned against the bus, her own eyes drawn up to the stars. Just as Molly had when they were kids (well, when she was a kid), she copied Rebecca's stance without saying a word. Molly felt thirteen again, her emotions all over the place, latching onto Rebecca's calm, detached persona for guidance. What would her younger self thought of Rebecca's true identity, the eternal teenager seeking freedom?

As much as it pained her to admit this, Molly might have rejected the big secret back then. She always wanted to fit in somewhere. Finding out the real age of her only friend would've made her feel like even more of an outsider. Of course, Rebecca had worse problems than she did, but teenagers tended to focus on themselves.

Maybe this all worked out for the best. Yes, she spent thirty years with abandonment issues, haunted by her friend's disappearance. They also found each other again, a companionable silence between them while they stared at the stars. Maybe it was the only way for their friendship to survive.

"What are you thinking?" Molly asked. Her own words spooked her. She would often ask the exact same question back then, unable to guess from Rebecca's frequently-stoic expression.

The memory even startled Rebecca. "Wow," she whispered. "No one's asked me that in thirty years."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Rebecca kept her voice low, as did Molly. It seemed wrong to speak loudly in their peaceful surroundings. "I'm thinking...about everything. My life, my parents. I thought I was ready for this. I should be ready, because I've had centuries to prepare. But I realized something just now. If I leave, I'll be even more alone than I am. My parents drive me crazy but at least I can be myself around them. They've been the only ones for centuries. You and your family accepting me feels like a miracle, and I'm thankful, but you won't always be around."

Molly's thoughts turned to the future. "That's true," she agreed. "I'd let you live with us in a heartbeat, but what happens when I'm gone? When my kids and grandkids are gone?"

"I could be a family heirloom," Rebecca joked. "Passed down through the generations."

Their laughter broke the quiet atmosphere. After they calmed down, Molly said, "You'll miss them, Rebecca. You'll probably regret how you left. One day you'll look back and see how much you gave up for your freedom. I'm not saying that you're wrong for wanting to leave, but running away from your problems doesn't solve them. They only turn into different, more complex problems."

"You're referring to what you said before, about your parents."

"Yeah." Molly noticed the longing on Rebecca's face, even traces of jealousy. It confused her since nothing she said would normally cause jealousy. "If I could go back and change things, I would - "

"You got to grow up!"

Rebecca's sudden outburst made Molly jump. Her eyes wide, Molly watched as the ancient teenager began pacing in a wide circle. "W-what?" she sputtered.

The tears from earlier returned, her voice breaking while she ranted. "You got to grow up! I've lived for over a thousand years, learned everything there is to learn, yet _you're_ the one lecturing _me_! Don't you see how wrong all this is? I'm sure you've been mad at me for leaving, and I am sorry, but at least you could move on. I had to live with the regret while you started a career and a marriage and had kids! It wasn't even my choice to leave! I'm chained to this lonely, stationary existence while everyone around me lives. I would give anything to make mistakes and have regrets! Let me make a mistake!"

Rebecca stopped pacing when the tears overwhelmed her. Molly took a hesitant step forward, then wrapped her old friend in a hug. Rebecca returned it. "Okay," Molly whispered. "We'll cast the spell. But you have to talk to your parents first."

"No, I can't..."

"Fiona, Jack and I will go with you."

Rebecca nodded while she sobbed into Molly's shoulder.

* * *

Fiona gave up her bed to Rebecca that night, then opted for a sleeping bag on the window seat in the common area. The neurotic part of her personality worried Rebecca would sneak out otherwise. The four of them debated confronting the Habib parents right then and there, but the time neared two in the morning. They wouldn't even know she was gone until they woke up in about six or seven hours.

Besides, Fiona wanted to prepare. The night owl in her thought about looking through her spell book some more, but she also needed sleep after so much excitement. She compromised by setting her watch alarm to go off an hour before they planned to leave.

She hit the snooze button once or twice, but she still woke up early enough. She wrote down spells that might be useful in a spare notebook, including the Perception Spell. Instincts warned her this wouldn't be a nice little chat. Rebecca's controlling parents might even try to hurt them. This preparation process reminded her of when she'd gone into battle against the demon that killed her father. These ancient humans weren't outright evil, but they probably didn't react well when mere mortals challenged them.

Rebecca walked into the common area. Fiona froze, realizing how the scene looked. Anticipating a battle with Rebecca's parents could be seen as insulting and excessive to their daughter. "Oh, uh..." Fiona closed both the spell book and her notebook. "'Morning."

"Good morning." Rebecca gave the books a curious glance as she sat down next to Fiona. "Writing down the Perception Spell?" she guessed.

Fi debated with herself for a second, then chose honesty. "Among others. Truth be told, Rebecca...I'm as nervous about this as you are, but for other reasons. I don't know your parents. Don't take this the wrong way, because I like to think we can be friends. I'm worried about them. I hope we'll stick to talking but if things get heated I have to protect my family."

"They won't hurt you." Rebecca made direct eye contact with Fiona, her voice full of earnest assurance. She didn't seem insulted at all. Fi wondered if Rebecca defended her parents often in the last few centuries. "I know they sound intimidating, and they can be, but that's because they're extremely guarded. We don't want to cause trouble. They might yell and curse, but I promise they won't physically harm you or your family."

Rebecca meant well, but after she left to wash up for the day, Fiona ripped the copied spells out of her spiral notebook. Then she folded them up and stuffed them in her pajama pocket, so she'd remember to transfer the pages to her jeans later. Fi hoped she'd never have to use them.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

After breakfast with the Bells, Fiona and her family traveled with Rebecca to her house. They used public transportation because they didn't want to pull up in the tour bus. Jack complained about this since he'd trudged all over Phoenix the day before, but this time they only needed to take a single bus less than ten stops. They walked up to a bland single-family ranch that looked just like every other home on the block.

When her mother asked Jack to go, Fiona wondered why since her brother didn't like to get involved with magic. Then she remembered what he said about feeling connected to Rebecca. Not only did he want to help, his connection to the family might work in their favor.

Rebecca took a key out of her jacket pocket. Fiona realized she intended to let them all in at once. "Wait," Fi said. "You should go in first, maybe explain what's going on. I don't want your parents to feel like we're ambushing them."

"Don't worry about it," Rebecca replied. She turned the key and pushed open the door. "They wouldn't give me the same courtesy. If I go in alone, they'll lock the door behind me."

"We wouldn't leave you - "

"They'd call the police to report trespassers," Rebecca said, dismissing Fiona's reply. "They've done it before, at least in the years since humanity invented local police forces."

"Do we want to know what they did before then?" Jack asked. He meant it as a joke, but underlying anxiety showed in his eyes.

Rebecca didn't answer him and stepped into the living room. Fiona wondered if anyone was home since the place looked deserted already. Bare walls and floors surrounded piles of boxes and two small couches. If they did talk with Rebecca's parents, there might not be space for everyone to sit. The sight brought on a deja vu feeling that made Fiona look towards her mother.

Sure enough, Molly's fists clenched tight at her sides, her breathing shallow. Fiona understood - this echoed the first time Rebecca's family left so many years ago. On instinct she hooked an arm around her mother's, their eyes making contact. In the next instant Fiona felt like she could see into her mother's thoughts.

 _Molly as a teenager. An empty kitchen. A cake with the number 13 on it. Tears forming while Grandma Kathleen shut off a video camera._

Fiona gasped as she let go of her mother's arm. Molly didn't react, almost like she knew what Fiona saw. Jack and Rebecca turned to her. "Are you okay, Fi?" her brother asked.

"Yeah, fine." Fiona guessed her mother didn't want to share this particular memory. Hopefully it would be her last vision that invaded Molly's privacy. Since Jack and Rebecca still looked concerned, Fiona said, "It's uh, the room. I didn't expect it to be so…"

"My parents move fast," Rebecca remarked.

Before they could look for said parents, Phineas and Isobel Habib walked in from the left hallway. "What is all this about, Rebecca?" her father snapped. "You shouldn't have invited guests over when we're moving today. I put boxes in your room."

They acted like they didn't recognize their daughter's only friend. Molly bravely stepped in front of her children to stand next to Rebecca. "Mr. and Mrs. Habib," she began, in an icy tone she didn't use often. "You may not remember me, but - "

"We know who you are, Molly," Isobel interrupted. "It's been a long time. How are your parents?"

Thrown by the question, Molly replied, "They're fine."

Hairs stood up on Fiona's neck. Tension in the air seeped into her muscles and settled on her shoulders. She rolled them back, her eyes on the three parents. They seemed to be playing a game. Who would tear down this facade first? Which side would bring up the real reason for this meeting? Mr. and Mrs. Habib must've realized the Phillips family knew their secret.

Maybe Rebecca's family had all the time in the world, but Fiona didn't like to waste hers. "You're immortal," Fiona announced. The couple remained stoic. "Or at least, the closest thing to it. But it's okay because my family and I are witches. By the way, I'm Fiona and this is my brother Jack. We're here to help Rebecca."

No one on Rebecca's side, including Rebecca herself, dared to move. The couple's demeanor didn't change. "Rebecca doesn't need your help," Phineas replied. The matter closed in his mind, he added, "Please show yourselves out. There's still much packing to be done." He went down another hallway without glancing at any of them.

The Phillipses stood there, speechless. Though intimidated, Rebecca turned to her mother. "Mama, please. We can trust them."

"You know better than this, Rebecca," Isobel said in a harsh whisper. "We told you never to speak to that Phillips girl again, and what do you do? You bring her entire family to our home. You constantly speak of trust, yet it looks like your father and I still cannot trust you. Say good-bye to your friends and go pack."

When tears formed in her friend's eyes, Fiona stepped towards Isobel. "Hey! Did you hear what I said? We're taking a risk too!"

"That's not my concern. Our kind does not associate with...yours," Isobel retorted, a condescending note to her voice. "Witches, always so full of yourselves, thinking you're so powerful when you live just as long as the average mortal. Go stir a cauldron and leave us alone."

Before his enraged mother and sister could react, Jack rushed forward. "And you're a snob who thinks you're better than everyone else just because you're older than dirt! I don't like dealing with this as much as you do, probably more, but your daughter came running to us. If you care about her at all, you'll listen to what she has to say!"

Isobel maintained her eerie calm. Afraid for her son, Molly put a hand on his shoulder. "Jack."

He squirmed when the ancient being made eye contact with him. "Hello, Jerrard," she drawled. "Still defending witches, I see. You haven't changed at all in five-hundred years."

"Whoa," Fi whispered. Both her ring and her mother's emitted a soft glow. Fiona noticed that in that moment all three Phillips were connected - she'd grabbed her mother's arm again, and Molly kept her hand on Jack's shoulder.

Up until this point Rebecca looked scared of her parents, but when she saw her friends stand up for her, she took action herself. "This was pointless," she said. "Let's go."

All attention shifted towards her. "Excuse me?" Isobel demanded.

"I can't live like this, Mother." Rebecca replied, equally cool. "My friends have a spell that can help me, so I'm leaving. I won't be a burden to you anymore."

In a lightning-fast move no one saw, Isobel yanked her daughter by the arm to her side. A fierce wind blasted the open front door inward, whipping through the living room and snatching at everyone's hair. Inexplicably it shifted directions, pushing Fiona and her family forward until they tripped over their own feet. Fiona fell into the wall behind her.

"Mama!" Rebecca yelled, terrified. "Stop this!"

Remembering some of her grandmother's training, Fiona stood her ground and pushed back with her own telekinetic power. The wind faded into a breeze. Molly caught on and threw out her hand. The door closed with a slam that rang in their ears. The older witch slowly turned to Isobel, who now gazed at them all with mild curiosity. "Do not attack my family," Molly seethed. "Unless you'd like to spend the next few thousand years as a rat. Or maybe a snake. I haven't decided."

Her children stared at her, mouths hanging open. Even Rebecca resisted her mother's grip a little less than before. Fiona would be surprised if her mother actually knew how to turn anyone into an animal, but she had a transformation spell in her pocket in case Mrs. Habib called Molly's bluff. As it was Rebecca's mother seemed amused by the threat.

"You don't know what you speak of," Isobel accused. "Your power is not strong enough to affect me or my husband."

Molly didn't flinch. "I'm an O'Sianhan. Try me."

The superiority in Isobel's expression dimmed, giving way to surprise and concern. Her hold on her daughter slipped enough that Rebecca could free herself. When she stood by the Phillips family again, Isobel took one more shot. "I've been under the impression that the O'Sianhan's were good witches, or 'white witches' as some call themselves. Any white witch I've encountered refused to cast a spell that would alter our mortality."

"We're not going to - "

"Then I don't know why you're still here."

While her mother struggled for calm, Fiona reached a new understanding. Mrs. Habib wanted to protect her family at any cost. Fear of discovery motivated her every action. Much like Fiona's mother, Mrs. Habib disguised that fear with pride and the illusion of control. "Mrs. Habib," Fiona began, her voice softer and more respectful. "We are good witches, and we don't plan to alter your mortality. We do have another plan, one that involves changing your daughter's appearance so she can live her own life. We wanted to come here first so Rebecca can discuss this decision with you. If you won't listen, she'll have no other choice than to decide on her own."

Mrs. Habib shifted focus to her daughter, who stood by the Phillipses and made her defiance clear. During the silence that followed, Isobel went up close to Rebecca so their eyes were inches apart. "I will not tolerate this," she warned. "I forbid it. You are not allowed to proceed with whatever ineffective spell they have in mind. Tell them to leave."

Though Rebecca's hands trembled at her sides and her eyes darted to her friends, she met her mother's frightening stare. "I'm not asking your permission," she said. "I'm only here to talk."

Isobel leaned back and folded her arms. "You truly believe you're ready to live on your own? To survive out there among mortals, some who will kill you if they find out what you are? Your father and I have been through hell while you remained blissfully unaware. I almost wish you would go and see it for yourself."

"Then why don't you let me?" Rebecca challenged.

Compassion flickered across Isobel's face, but she buried it before she spoke again. "Because," she replied. "My mother did not allow me to live alone when I was your age, and she made the right decision. I would not have survived either." She tilted her head at her solemn daughter. "You're still considering this spell?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then I suppose we should all sit down. I'll get your father."

* * *

Molly felt like they'd won the first battle, but with no help from her. Her children overcame the obstacle with more sense and maturity than their mother had shown. God, she'd actually threatened to turn an ancient being into a rat. When she had no clue how to turn anyone into anything. At least they'd learned that the O'Sianhan name carried weight in the supernatural world. They might not have gotten this far if Mrs. Habib thought their power couldn't match hers.

Speaking of, what was that wind? What other abilities did Rebecca's parents have? What were Rebecca and her parents? Rebecca said she was human, but maybe even she didn't know everything about herself. Mrs. Habib just admitted to keeping secrets from her daughter. Then again, who was Molly to judge? Hypocritical much? She should take a page from Fiona's book and relate to Rebecca's parents on a human level. Even if they might not be human.

Well, as a witch, Molly technically didn't qualify either. They could relate on that level too.

The group had moved into the sparse living room. Molly, Fiona and Jack sat on one couch, while Isobel Habib and Rebecca took the other. Rebecca's father Phineas pulled in a dining room chair for himself for the extra space. Isobel had explained everything to him before they walked back into the room, so the two families sat opposite each other in complete silence.

Molly struggled to come up with an ice-breaker. Faced with Phineas and Isobel's grim expressions, she adapted Fiona's empathy tactic. "Look, um, I get how embarrassing this must be for you. If my children dragged their friends into our family's business, I'd feel the same way. We're only here because Rebecca wanted us here. Our friendship meant the world to me back then so if there's something I can do to help her, I'll do it."

Isobel scoffed. "We've been Rebecca's parents for more than thirteen-hundred years, Molly. We don't need your 'help,' especially after you almost turned me into a small animal."

Molly heard Jack cough to cover up an embarrassed groan. While her shining moment seemed impressive at the time, she realized it made her look like the amateur she was. "You threatened us first with that windstorm bit," she retorted. "I am sorry though."

"Yeah, what was that?" Fiona wisely changed the subject. "I thought you just aged slowly. Rebecca mentioned some other psychic abilities, but that wind...it was like witchcraft."

"It was not 'witchcraft,' I assure you," Phineas snapped.

Molly used up all her willpower to keep from smirking. Jack's 'snob' comment hit the mark. "Then what was it?" she asked.

None of the near-immortals looked upset by the press for information. "Natural development, I suppose," Isobel answered. "We all have certain talents related to the elements. When you live on this earth for thousands of years, you form a connection to it."

"That's it?" Jack replied, incredulous. "'Natural development'? So you're saying, if a normal human lived a couple thousand years longer than expected, they would gain the same abilities? Like...it's already in everyone's DNA, we just don't live long enough to see it?"

The bland expressions on the Habibs' faces revealed their disinterest in the topic. Molly raised an eyebrow. "You're telling us," she said, struggling to process it herself. "In thousands of years, you never thought to research it? I mean...just for something to do?"

Fiona wore her trademark contemplative look, the one she always wore when solving a supernatural mystery. "Something happened," she murmured. "There's a reason you're not proud of what you are, or want to know more about where you come from. Jack's right, I can't believe your immortality comes from normal human DNA. Connection to the earth...long lifespan...it's almost like you're gods or something. Or extra-terrestrials."

"Fiona!" Molly hissed. The last thing they needed was to accuse their hosts of being aliens from another planet.

The accusation got Rebecca's back up. "We're not aliens!" she protested.

"The god thing makes more sense," Jack said. "If they were aliens, why hang around here for thousands of years? Either take over the human race or go home."

Molly put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry about this," she muttered on her children's behalf.

While Rebecca sulked, her parents seemed entertained by their guests' curiosity. Isobel even chuckled. "Don't be. We never share our secret with anyone, so it's a novelty to have a pleasant conversation about it. Fiona's guesses aren't so outrageous as we've heard similar accusations. And, actually...there is a legend about gods from another world mating with humans long before modern civilization began."

"Bunch of nonsense," Phineas grumbled.

"What does it matter what we are anyway?" Rebecca snapped, her teenage attitude spiking. "We're still stuck here. What's the point of living so long when we have to spend all our time hiding from everyone? If there really is a land of the gods, I want to go home."

Molly smiled when Isobel put a comforting hand on Rebecca's shoulder. Given her strict persona, Mrs. Habib probably didn't show her nurturing side often. "I don't blame you, Rebecca," Isobel whispered. "The relationship between humans and the supernatural world wasn't always like this. Humans worshiped my mother and father in their day. Now...they are so determined to explain everything with their 'science,' it isn't safe to speak freely of our abilities. We don't become ill but there are ways they can hurt us."

"We can relate," Molly added. "My family has to keep our abilities secret too."

Fiona nodded. "I guess the difference is, we don't have to keep the secret for thousands of years."

Meanwhile, Jack appeared to be deep in thought. "Land of the gods…" he muttered, drawing the others' attention. "Like Mount Olympus. Oasis for immortals."

"Oasis, that is what our kind calls it." Isobel leaned forward towards him. "You do remember, then. Rebecca loved that story as a child. When you and Lady Thea invited us over, she told it right there at the dinner table."

Wrapped up in the 'memory,' Jack barely heard her. "After dinner. Thea suspected you were immortal, but I...Jerrard, didn't believe it. She also spoke of other dimensions like Oasis. Demi-gods had been shut out for so long, they thought themselves human. Thea said that's because the portal was sealed when humans started to outnumber you. The portal is real, it exists. But none descended from the gods may open it."

Molly worried about the unfocused look of her son's eyes, wondering if he'd drifted into a trance. Her daughter also stared with concern. "Jack?" Molly whispered. "Can you hear me, baby?" When he didn't look up from the floor, Molly glanced over at Fiona. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Fiona confessed. "I did some research on past lives, but this...should we call Grandma?"

Isobel shook her head. "We've encountered other witches who experience this. Their past lives emerge through their psychic abilities. Some become so connected with a former identity that it's as if the two are one."

"Connected..." Fiona muttered.

Molly hesitantly, lightly, placed her hand on her son's shoulder in an attempt to bring him back to the present. He didn't react. "Yeah, Jack said it yesterday," she replied, masking her disappointment. "He felt connected to your family because of Jerrard."

A very long minute passed while they all stared at Jack. They let out relieved sighs when Jack blinked, then rubbed his eyes to clear them. "Sorry..." he said, still disoriented. "I was just...remembering. I heard what you all said though. Mrs. Habib's right, lately I feel like Jerrard's memories are my memories. It's like...remembering my childhood."

"Is that bad?" Fiona asked, turning towards Isobel. "Should we do something?"

"Not that I know of. Witches who experience it simply accept it as part of their identity. If anything they view it as guidance for their current life cycle."

Jack appeared more distressed about what he'd just seen than the fact that he'd seen it. "Thea reached out to you, Mr. Habib," he said. "She knew of the legend and wanted to help conjure the portal. She crafted a spell and...and she gave it to you."

Phineas shrugged. "She was a stranger, and a witch. We didn't trust her."

Her temper surfacing, Rebecca glared at her parents. "You've known the way home for hundreds of years? Why would you force us to stay here?"

"We don't know what's waiting for us!" Isobel exclaimed, suddenly emotional. She stood up and paced behind the couch. "Rebecca, you think everything is so simple - good and bad, black and white. After everything you've witnessed in over a thousand years you still don't understand the Balance. Without evil we would not experience good, and there _is_ good in this world, even for people like us. Mortals fear death for one reason - no one knows what is on the other side. So we choose to stay with the familiar because at least we know there is good here."

When Isobel paused for breath, Molly gathered her courage and asked, "But it's called Oasis. Doesn't that imply good?"

Isobel waved a dismissive hand. "Oasis, Mount Olympus, it's all the same fantasy. People assume that because another plane of existence exists, if it exists, it must be better than this one."

"'The grass is always greener,'" Fiona supplied. "We believe in those places because we want them to be real. 'Faith' is when people think they know for sure, so...that's it then. You don't have faith that a place with eternal happiness exists. You'd rather stay here and not take the risk." Molly and Jack gave her sideways looks, both surprised by the teenager's insight.

The arguments didn't sway Rebecca. "Mother, Father, those are your opinions. _You're_ too afraid to leave. I'm miserable here and I would go right now."

Molly leaned forward towards her friend. "Rebecca, you feel that way now because...even though you've been here for a very long time, haven't grown up yet. Don't you want to see what it's like to be an adult, even if you do have to wait a few hundred years? Don't you want to get everything you can out of this life before moving on to the next one?" She managed a small smile. "At least wait another fifty years or so. We just got our friendship back."

"Add another twenty years after that for me and Jack," Fiona quipped. "We're your friends too."

Molly stood and walked over to Rebecca's parents. Isobel sat by her husband again, leaning on the end of the sofa. "But it's different for you two," Molly continued. "I don't know how old you really are, but I'm sure you're...tired. Mrs. Habib said there's no good without evil, but there's also no life without death. You must realize that moving on is inevitable. The question here is how much longer you want to stay. My family and I can only help you for so many years, and then we're gone. I would say you could find another witch but you don't trust anyone else enough to help you."

Phineas got to his feet, his arm around his wife's shoulders. "It's not as simple as a mortal's fear of the unknown. We do know something, Molly. If we're to believe the legend, those in charge of our homeland exiled our kind. Even if we force the door open again, would They welcome us back?"


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Later that night, after Molly's concert, the Phillipses and Bells sat around the bus common area to share what happened with Rebecca and her family. Fiona's thoughts never left them since the visit ended. She'd been quiet all day but told the entire story when Carey asked how it went. "...and now they're worried they'll have to stay here until the literal end of time." Fiona finished the tale with occasional commentary from her mother and brother. "I think it has something to do with them being demi-gods. In most of the legends, gods aren't happy when their kind mixes with mortals."

"We aren't even sure they _are_ demi-gods," Molly pointed out. "Even they thought it was just a legend. What if they don't have the spell, or it doesn't work when we read it?" She glanced at her cynical son for support. "Jack?"

He offered an apologetic shrug. "Sorry Mom, I keep thinking about Thea. She really believed it. She believed it so much she went to Mr. and Mrs. Habib to help them."

Molly sighed. "How is this fair? You're not even married yet and you're already siding with your wife over me."

"I still don't understand something," Irene said. "How long do these...people, live? How do they die, if they die?"

Fiona had wondered that herself. They'd discussed the topic after Mr. Habib's confession. "Mr. and Mrs. Habib's parents are almost eight thousand years old. If their kind does pass on, no one's ever seen it before. There's stories of demi-gods being killed by mortals, but they're not clear on the details."

"Wow," Ned said, his arm around Irene. "That's incredible. I can't imagine what Rebecca and her family must be thinking right now. They either have to go into the unknown or stay here for who knows how long." They sat next to each other on the window bench, Carey in the unused driver's seat, the Phillips family at the table. The bus would stay in its parking spot until they left the next day.

A minute of solemn quiet passed, then Irene abruptly burst into laughter. "Mol was going to turn her into a rat!" she exclaimed, doubling over in her seat. Everyone except Molly, who turned bright red, joined in. "She's a _demi-god_ , and you threatened to turn her into a rat! I'm sorry, it's just that you've been my best friend for twenty years and I can't picture it."

"I didn't _know_ she was a demi-god," Molly muttered. "Or how to turn her into a rat. Fortunately she didn't question it."

They all laughed harder after that. "Remind me not to get on your bad side," Carey joked. "Especially when you _do_ learn."

"Okay, that I've got to see," Ned teased. "Molly, can we pick which animal you turn him into? I've always wanted a dog."

"Dad!"

Irene attempted to regain her calm while she playfully swatted her husband's arm. "Stop, Ned. I think Carey's really scared."

Fi stopped laughing and glanced at her friend. "You know we're kidding, right? We'd never..."

Carey gave her an embarrassed smile. "I know, Fi. Thanks."

They all chatted for another half hour, wound up after a good show. They almost missed the knock at the bus' door. Ned and Irene looked out the window blinds. "It's Rebecca and her parents!" Irene said. "Did you tell them to meet you after the show?"

Molly shrugged as she stood from the booth seat. "We told them to stop by the bus when they made a decision. I didn't expect them until tomorrow morning...if they showed at all."

When she went over to the door, the Bells also got up from their seats. "We'll clear out," Ned said. "Call us if you need backup."

Carey scoffed. At his father's questioning glance, Carey explained, "What would _we_ do to help _them_?"

"Huh, good point."

Fiona chuckled while the Bells turned into the back hallway. They'd been right to leave before her mother opened the door. She suspected the Habib parents would not be happy to discover that three more mortals knew their secret. Becoming serious again, Fi stood from her seat when Molly opened the bus' door. Jack also stood, his hands clenched at his sides, ready for a fight. "It's okay, Jack," Fi said.

"Maybe," Jack replied, his teeth clenched. "But after what Mrs. Habib did, I don't trust them. They could've changed their minds about us."

While Jack's protective instinct simmered, Molly welcomed Rebecca and her parents onto the bus. "Hello," she said. "You've made a decision already?"

"We apologize for the late hour," Isobel said. "We've just made our decision and wanted to catch you before we left in the morning."

Fi's own temper spiked before Jack could say a word. "You're making Rebecca leave again? But - "

"No, Fiona," Rebecca insisted, putting her hand on Fi's shoulder. "I'm okay with it this time. And we would've needed to move soon anyway."

"But the Perception Spell - "

"We talked all day long," Rebecca said, unable to hide her genuine smile. "Ever since you left. They agreed that if they are going back to Oasis eventually, I'll need to learn how to get by on my own...here, on this plane. They're going to teach me what they know so I'll be better prepared."

Jack glanced at Rebecca's parents. "I don't get it...you're leaving, but not now?"

Molly guided the group to the common area seating, and like last time, the two families sat facing each other. "I don't understand either," she confessed. "What did you decide, exactly?"

"We're going back to our homeland," Phineas declared. "Whether they want us there or not. But we can't leave Rebecca here by herself while she still looks like a thirteen-year-old girl."

None of it made sense yet to Fiona. "But the spell would..."

"Be a quick fix," Rebecca explained. "After everything today, I realized I don't know as much as I thought I did, even after living for so long. Seeing my parents speak about what they've been through opened my eyes to another side of our existence. They endure so much hardship but they also wanted to stay because they also look forward to the good in life. I don't know how to do that."

Molly smiled, nostalgia in her expression. "I remember feeling that way as a teenager. As an adult you learn to appreciate the good moments and brace yourself for the bad ones. You would miss out if you literally grew up overnight."

"But how long are you staying, Mr. and Mrs. Habib?" Jack asked. "Are you going to ask other witches to read the Oasis spell in the future? I mean, my family and I are only going to be around for another eighty years or so."

Fiona grinned at him. "Not true, Jack. One of us is bound to have kids, right?"

"I hope so, but it's not really a sure thing."

"Hey! One of you better have kids," Molly teased. "I want to be a grandma." She paused. "Not until both of you have graduated college, of course."

"Jack, you and Fiona are the strongest branch of the O'Sianhan line," Isobel said. "I believe fate will find a way to continue it. That often happens in powerful witch families. Phineas and I will contact your descendants when the time comes, which means you must train them properly."

Noting Jack's unnerved grimace, Fiona couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "Don't worry, Big Brother. You can send the kids to cool Aunt Fi for witch training."

Molly and Rebecca joined her laughter then, and even Rebecca's parents cracked smiles. "Gods help whoever the two of us marry," Jack muttered.

Inexplicably, Fi's thoughts about her future went to the Bell brothers. Namely Clu. She'd crushed on him once or twice as a preteen, but because their families were so close, she never considered pursuing it. Breaking up would be awful and she didn't want to lose the rest of the Bells too. Now, facing a _very_ weird future, she wondered if destiny provided her with an open-minded, easy-going male best friend for a reason...

She refocused on the present when Rebecca and her parents stood up to leave. Her mother shook Mr. and Mrs. Habib's hands. "I'm so glad we could work this out," Molly said. "Again, I'm sorry about our...confrontation, earlier. I only interfered because of my concern for Rebecca. Even though I never knew what happened, her friendship always meant a great deal to me."

"Thank you," Isobel said. "We heard the song, Molly. I don't regret what we did, because we never intended it to be a direct offense against you. However I do wish things were different for Rebecca. In a perfect world, she could have as many friends as she wanted."

Sentimentality filled Molly's eyes, her voice wavering when she replied. "At least we can be friends now, right?"

"Yeah!" Fiona spoke up, surprised when her own emotion overwhelmed her. She recognized how much this moment meant to her mother. "Do you have an email address, Rebecca? Mom and I can send you messages from my laptop."

Rebecca's smile widened. She reached into her dress pocket for a piece of paper, then unfolded it to reveal an email address. "Yes, I have an email address. And I'll email you the phone number of our next house. Keep in touch." Tears streamed down her face, but she still sounded thrilled. "I've always wanted to say that!"

She hugged Molly, who returned it as tightly as she could. "See you soon, okay?" Molly said through her own tears. When they parted, she added, "Like within the decade."

"We'll see each other soon, I promise," Rebecca agreed. While her parents headed for the door, she quickly hugged Fiona. "Thank you, Fiona. If you ever need anything..."

"You're welcome. See you soon, Rebecca."

She said goodbye to Jack, then Molly and Fiona again before following her parents out the door. The Phillipses crowded around the steps to see them off, returning Rebecca's wave as the demi-gods piled into an inconspicuous family sedan. As they drove into the darkened city, Fiona wrapped an arm each around her mother and brother, still imagining the future generations of O'Sianhans. If she knew one thing, it was that the legend of Rebecca would live on.


End file.
